


The Ramifications of Unknown Spells

by Forever_A_Thief



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: BAMF Hermione Granger, Eventual Hermione/Severus Maybe Possibly, F/M, Gen, HBIC Hermione Granger, I don't know, Sort of fix-it, Time Travel, maybe just friends, quite a bit of cursing, sorry - Freeform, unknown spells
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-19
Updated: 2016-06-01
Packaged: 2018-02-18 01:06:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 35,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2329637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Forever_A_Thief/pseuds/Forever_A_Thief
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a parting shot from Bellatrix Lestrange, Hermione ends up back at the end of her first year with the intention of fixing everything before it happens, with an unlikely assistant.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. What Happened At Malfoy Manor

Hermione was writhing in agony on the floor of Malfoy Manor, Bellatrix Lestrange's wand pointed at her malevolently. A crazed smile slashed her face in two as she pulled back to throw another crucio at Hermione, except there was an almightly tremor that went through the building and shook Bellatrix off her feet.

She lifted her head weakly from the floor and saw Harry and Ron running up the steps from the basement, where she assumed the others had come from as well. Luna and Mr. Ollivander, as well as an odd goblin, stumbled into the room behind her friends. Ron was running to pick her up from the floor and the others congregated around her. She couldn't hear anything through the pounding blood in her ears, but she saw their mouths open wide, screaming out orders and waving wildly. Suddenly Dobby was grabbing them and they were getting tugged away from the Manor, but not before Hermione saw Bellatrix rise and raise her wand, golden light crackling around her wand as she raised it and threw the spell at their group, not even trying to aim. The group disappeared before Hermione could think to scream a warning.

"Bella," Lucius said shakily, staring at the empty spot where the group had disapperated, curious despite their precarious situation. "What spell was that?"

Bellatrix looked at her wand nonchalantly, sighing breathily. "I don't know. I read something about it in a library, somewhere. The description said something about time and tearing and ripping. Perhaps they'll grow old and be torn apart by the spell! Pity they didn't stick around for me to see for sure," she pouted, turning to walk out of the room as if nothing of import had happened. Lucius watched her go with growing dread, then turned back to where the group of escapees had disappeared.

 

Hermione felt the spell as it collided with her, and suddenly she realized she was going to die. As they all collapsed on the ground, she shook with pain. Her hand was already starting to shimmer out of existence, she just knew it, even before she lifted it to look at.

"Ron," she gasped, reaching out for him blindly as her vision began to dim. She heard his alarmed shriek and then he was at her side, holding her steadily disappearing hand. "Ron, she hit me. I-I don't think I'm going to make it." She squeezed her eyes tight as an aftershock from the cruciatus passed through her body. Ron tightened his grip, and then she heard him start to cry, dripping tears on her disappearing face and giving her apology after apology.

She cringed, and then calmly cleared her mind, preparing herself for the end. She smiled up at Ron carefully and he smiled sadly back, tears and snot mixing on his face. "It'll be okay, Ron. Just help Harry kill the bastard for me, okay?"

Ron nodded his head and released her hand as it disappeared altogether. The golden light was surrounding her and engulfing her, eating away at her edges until she was gone from sight entirely. Ron sighed shakily, and then he collapsed to the ground in a heap.


	2. Hermione's Reaction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Contains a healthy dose of Dumbledore-bashing and fighting. Also, Hermione curses like a sailor so if you don't like that, sorry. Bit she's terribly stressed and angry, so...

When Hermione opened her eyes, she couldn't believe she could at all. Looking around warily, she found herself sprawled on the dungeon floor of Hogwarts. Jumping up as quickly as possible, Hermione ran to an empty classroom and hid herself away, clearing her mind and taking deep, even breaths to calm down.

When she thought she might be able to move through the castle a bit more stealthily, she disillusioned herself, cast _muffliato_ to quiet her footsteps, and warily left the classroom. It was nighttime, probably near midnight, she mused as she looked outside from the high windows she passed. It was while she was distracted by the view of the Black Lake through one of the seventh floor windows when she bumped into him.

As she whirled backward, wand raised, Hermione realized her grave mistake in bumping right into the one person she was trying to avoid. Severus Snape righted himself, and glared at the empty space before him, flicking his eyes from side to side to see if there was any clue where the invisible person was.

"Shit," she grumbled, and his eyes flew to her. Her heart pounded in her chest for a horrifying moment as he stalked forward, fury obvious on his face.

"Potter!" Snape growled, pointed in her general direction. Finally, Hermione snapped out of it and cast a strong, silent _incarcerous_. He fell to the floor in a heap, a huff of breath escaping him. She removed the charm on herself and glared down at him, glowering with all her strength.

"You!" she hissed, shoving her wand beneath his chin so she could see his face better. She looked him over in disgust. "Seems being Headmaster really brought your health back up," she spat. The man on the floor before her was thin, but he had a healthy palor to his skin that she hadn't seen on him since the beginning of her first year.

He looked at her in confusion, but Hermione ignored him. She levitated him up and stuffed a transfigured rag into his mouth as a gag. Then she disillusioned both of them and took off down the hallway, heading toward the Headmaster's office. If she could just speak to Dumbledore's portrait, she might be able to figure out what to do next.

When she reached the gargoyle, she realized that she didn't know the password, and carefully removed the charm and rag from Snape. She glared him into silence and then said, "What's the password?"

Snape looked at her increduously, and shook his head. "You are a strange, unfamiliar witch who has tied me up and crept about the school unknown and invisible. _Why_ would I tell you the password to the Headmaster's office?"

She was losing patience quickly, and she jabbed her wand in his neck again. "Don't think I won't do it, Snape. I've gone through far too much this year to quibble over killing you or not. I just need to speak with Dumbledore. Now, the fucking _password_!"

He seemed to balk at her for a moment, surprised at her fury, and then said quietly, "Fizzing Whizbees." The gargoyle hesitated for a moment, but then easily stepped aside, allowing her to levitate Snape up the passageway before her.

When they came to the doorway, she opened it without a second thought, calling out, "Dumbledore, I came to ask. . . ," but she trailed off when she saw who sat behind the desk, and uncerimoniously dropped Snape to the floor again in her shock.

"Dumbledore?" she breathed out, her hand coming up to cover her mouth.

"What, you're surprised? You just came in here saying you needed to speak with him!" Snape groused, sounding a bit frantic as he tried to struggle out of his bonds. Hermione ignored him, only turning toward him long enough to stick the gag back in before turning to Dumbledore again, who was watching the scene before him with a confused but bemused look.

"And who may I ask has come to see me and bound my Potions Professor up, as well?" His eyes roved up and down her, looking for something familiar, and Hermione felt herself begin to tremble.

"You don't recognize me, sir? Why don't you remember me? And how are you alive? What is going on?!" she said, near hysterics herself though she was trying to contain it. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, before she could face the dead man once more.

"Why don't we start from the beginning? And why don't we release Severus before we sit down, hmm? I'm sure he hasn't done anything in the short few minutes since he left here earlier to deserve being tied up."

Hermione glowered at Snape, who lay uncerimoniously on the floor, glaring right back at her. She grinned wickedly and turned back to Dumbledore, seating herself before his desk. "I think he's perfectly fine where he is."

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at her and then leaned around her to look at Snape, who had wriggled enough to be in a sitting position. He was glaring at the woman's head but made no further attempt to get free.

"Well, if Severus is alright with remaining there for the time being...," he trailed off, seeing Snape roll his eyes, as if he had a choice.

"Oh, it's the least discomfort he'll be in for a long while." She turned to look at Dumbledore curiously. "Sir, I don't understand. He _killed_ you last year. Headmaster Black told me your portrait had animated. How are you still alive?"

There was a choking sound from behind her, but Hermione ignored him for now. Instead, she focused on the area behind the Headmaster's desk, where she knew his portrait should have been.

Dumbledore, for his part looked at her calmly and serenely. "May I please ask your name, miss?"

Hermione sucked in a sharp breath, and scowled. "Hermione Granger." Dumbledore's eyebrows both rose at that, and he glanced behind her at Snape once again.

"And what year is it, Miss Granger?"

Hermione was growing irritated. "Can't you just tell me why you're alive? Why you've left me and Harry and Ron running around the fucking _countryside_ for a year on our own trying to figure out what we were supposed to do?!" She slammed her fist down on the desk and hovered over it, glaring icy hatred at the man before her, who had deserted them. "If this was all part of a plan, well I've truly gone and discovered it now, haven't I? So you needn't hide it any longer and tell any more lies. How are you alive?!" she screeched.

Dumbledore was still disgustingly calm. "If you would answer my initial question, I believe I can answer yours. What year is it for you, Miss Granger?"

Inhaling deeply, Hermione glared and choked out, "1997."

Another sharp intake from the man behind her, and Hermione seemed to realize what was happening. "Shit," she said, her eyes closing in defeat. "Bellatrix sent me to the fucking past? Shit. _Shit_! Goddamnit, this was _not_ how it was supposed to happen." She raked her hands through her mass of hair and paced the room, back and forth, back and forth. Finally, she turned to stare at Snape once more, really looking at him. She levitated him to a chair and studied him close.

"God, but you're young. I never really noticed how much when I was a first year. You're what, thirty? Thirty-one. God." She rolled her shoulders uneasily and sighed, giving him a wary look as she removed the gag and the ropes. He slipped out of them slowly, watching her closely in case she changed her mind about him.

Once he was free, she ignored him. "What year is it? There's things that need to be done before it gets too far out of hand." When Dumbledore didn't answer her immediately, Hermione scowled darkly. "Dumbledore, there's practically no way for me to get back. God, but we were so close," she grumbled beneath her breath, shaking her head ruefully. "So, I'm stuck here. And I'll be damned if I don't stop this before it all starts again. I won't put Harry and Ron and, oh God, there're two of me now, great; but I won't put us through all that again. No child should have to go through that shit." She turned her eyes to him once more, leaving no room for argument. "Now. _What fucking year is it_?"

Dumbledore pursed his lips, apparently not used to being cursed at, but Hermione really couldn't care less. This man before her had put everyone through so much, used them, molded them, set them up time and time again, and then he had abandoned them with hardly anything helpful to go off of. She was _livid_ with Albus Dumbledore, even if it was the wrong one.

"It is 1992. It is the day before the end of term. The children leave on the Express tomorrow morning. You are very lucky you did not run into anyone that recognized you." He sent a chastising look at her, but it only made her bristle.

"I've been on the run for the past year; I know how to disguise myself, and I know how to protect myself. I caught _Professor Snape_ easily enough," she sniped, glaring at the man in question, who stood behind her in silence, "and I was only coming up here to speak with your portrait, because when you died, you left annoyingly _cryptic_ things behind for us, that were absolutely, stupidly, unhelpful." She glared at him as if he could change that fact, but then she sighed once more and leaned away from the desk, glaring around at the room stonily.

"And since I won't be getting any help from you, I might as well get started righting all the Dark Lord's wrongs before anything catastrophic happens. Harry disposed of Quirrell already, right?" When Dumbledore looked at her in surprise, she gave him such a disappointed look and Hermione just wanted to slap him. "Yes, of course I know about it! It happened six years ago for me, but I clearly remember that stupid chess set. I still have nightmares about it," she ground out. Dumbledore seemed reluctant, but he nodded once, and Hermione nodded back, taking another deep breath. It seemed that was the only thing she could do to keep herself grounded.

"Miss Granger, I cannot begin to understand what has happened to you, but," the Headmaster began, but Hermione's sharp look stopped him dead in his tracks. Her sunken, hollow eyes frightened him, and he realized that over time she had grown into her power and increased it, and she was something to be truly afraid of now, especially if she had endured the oncoming war.

"I'm sorry, Miss Granger. But you must allow things to play out the way they were meant to. Just think what might happen if you were to change something? The proverbial flap of the butterfly's wing." One look at Hermione's face told him that she would not be moved. His eyes flicked to Snape behind her, but Hermione followed the movement and skittered away quickly enough to dodge the stunner sent at her back.

"Oh, shooting your opponents in the back now, are we? How original," she taunted, raising her wand. Snape growled but moved to face her, only to find himself facing three of her. He backpedalled in confusion for a moment, but a moment was all she needed. From her original position, she cast a stunner, a binding spell, and then kicked him across the room with such force that she knew she had broken a few ribs. She turned to Dumbledore, who watched her prowess with wide eyes. She silently cast the strongest shield charm she could think of on herself, and then turned fiery eyes on the Headmaster.

"You are not my Master. And I know more than a few of the terrible things you have done and will do in this war, and you are no better than the Dark Lord. Do not presume to tell me what to do with the information I have, nor to _alter my memory_ ," she growled, turning to glare at the prone form of Snape. "I will do in a few months what you tried and failed to do in twenty years. Do not try to stop me, you meddling old man. I'm through with you!"

As she turned toward the door, she felt a spell disintegrate on her shield and turned around again, grinning wickedly at the Headmaster. "I told you, you fool. I've spent the last year on the run. I'm not going to turn my back on an enemy without a little protection." She twirled her wand between her fingers idly, waiting for him to respond. She raised an annoyed eyebrow when he remained silent for too long.

"You consider me your enemy." He didn't ask it, but left it hanging in the air between them.

Hermione nodded her head, looking at the floor. "Yes. I trusted you for years, held naive, blind faith in you. And you betrayed us all, left us with no idea what to do. And I'm starting to think that Snape was only following your orders when he killed you." She turned her gaze to the man in question for a long, silent moment as she thought. "Sadly, I can easily picture you telling him there was no other way, and not allowing him to tell anyone else. It really would have worked out well if you weren't gambling with a man's life at the same time." Her eyes grew furious again as Snape began moving and groaning in the corner. "Like I said, I'm through with you, Headmaster. Good day." Then she turned on her heel and disappeared down the hallway. As Snape woke up, the Headmaster watched after the woman that he had just seen down in the hospital wing not two hours ago. Hopefully, the frightening woman before him remembered to conceal herself.

As Snape dragged himself into the chair she had so recently vacated, Albus finally zoned back onto the present task.

"Well," he said, letting the word hang in the air uneasily.

Snape nodded. "Yes." He paused, but continued shortly after. "She is very powerful," he mumbled, eyes weaving toward the wall she had kicked him to. "I am also quite tired of being thrown on the ground and against walls tonight."

Albus stroaked his beard and seemed to come to a decision. "We need her, though. If we are to end this anytime soon. We need her information and her cooperation." He eyed Snape carefully.

"No," he growled, shaking his head. "I will not be your go-between. She thought me a murderer and you another Dark Lord. The future does not seem very promising," he mused, studying his fingernails nonchalantly, trying to ignore the pain in his ribs.

Dumbledore's voice hardened, as it only ever did when Severus didn't want to do what Dumbledore ordered. Snape instantly bristled, though he knew he couldn't fight him, not on this. They really _did_ need her information.

"The school will be empty by tomorrow afternoon. Finish your grading quickly, so the rest of your summer will be free. Then I want you to go with Miss Granger and assist her on this mission of hers. Help her any way you can, but I want to know what's going on. Understand?" Dumbledore's normally jovial blue eyes were now hard and unrelenting. Snape pursed his lips into a harsh line but nodded curtly, groaning inwardly. He was going to be thrown into another wall tonight, he just _knew_ it.


	3. Chapter 3

Hermione walked down the halls. She had forgotten how much she could miss these walls, the safety that they always offered. Even invisible, she was at risk here, though. She could bump into anyone, and she had no reason to be wandering around the halls in the early hours of the morning.

Just as she rounded the corner toward the Great Hall, wanting to see the enchanted ceiling again, she heard someone calling her name. She stopped and turned around, though she remained hidden for now. She saw Snape round the corner, staring down at the wand in the palm of his hand as it spun, stopping to point right at her. His eyes lifted to stare straight ahead, where he assumed she was.

Pocketing his wand, Snape lifted his hands placatingly and took a step away from her. Silently, she let the charm dissolve around her and she was visible once more, staring at Snape warily with her head held high.

"The Headmaster has changed his mind, as he always does when presented with a better plan," Snape said in a bored voice, rolling his eyes as he did so. Hermione felt her eyes grow wide as her jaw fell just a bit, but he seemed to notice her reaction and straightened up, turning stiff. "He has proposed my assisstance in your endeavour and," he said, his face scrunching up in distaste, "he has offered you a room in my chambers until we can leave after the children, tomorrow. I will also have to report to him on a regular basis as to our whereabouts and doings."

Hermione weighted the offer and decided it was the best she was going to get any time soon. And really, Snape's help would be extremely beneficial, especially if he didn't have to worry about Death Eaters dropping by all the time. The war hadn't truly begun yet.

"Alright," she nodded, agreeing carefully. "That sounds acceptable enough." As she started toward the dungeons, Snape hurried to catch up with her, taking the lead and bringing her to a blank expanse of wall near the Slytherin common room. He pressed his hand to a certain brick and suddenly there was a door there, instead of a blank wall.

She followed him in and looked about the room, finding it oddly homey. It was plain and comfortable with a lived-in look to it. There were blankets strewn across the sofa, cups scattered around the room on almost every flat surface, and even a stray shirt wadded up on the floor by a door that she supposed lead to his bedroom.

She tried and failed to stifle a snort of laughter as she looked around, but he heard her and quirked an eyebrow at her. "Sorry. It's just, bachelor life's really treating you good, huh?" Then she started laughing in earnest, and Snape seemed to relax as he took in the state of the rooms.

"Yes, well," he grumbled, moving forward to pick up the mess around the room. Hermione just shook her head and grinned as she rummaged through her bag. She was escatic that it had come with her.

"Snape, do you mind if I use your shower? I haven't been in a proper house in about six or seven months." Snape looked her over critically but nodded, pointing toward a door. She nodded her thanks and walked in, nearly groaning in relief when she saw a large, clean shower and a real toilet, and a sink with clean, running water.

She stripped so quickly she thought she might injure herself and was under the gentle waterfall in moments, savoring the heat and the pressure and the _normalness_ of it all. She let out another groan of pleasure when she used the soap to clean away the months of dirt that a _scourgify_ just _couldn't_ fully get rid of.

When she finally emerged from the bathroom a good 45 minutes later, she met Snape in the kitchen. He raised an eyebrow at her and asked, "And just what was so pleasureable in my bathroom that you had to groan like a... like a," he stuttered, not sure exactly how to insult her without insulting her _too much_.

She didn't even have the common decency to blush. She just shrugged, grinning wide, and padded over to the counter, riffling through his cupboards to find something substantial to eat. "Don't tell me that when you got back from Azkaban after the first War, that your first shower wasn't exhiliarating and devine. I won't believe you. And I've been living in a forest for months with two teenage boys, don't even talk to me about groaning in the shower."

Snape sputtered. Did the girl have no shame, no propriety?! When she turned to see his face, munching away happily on a bowl of dry cereal, she nearly choked from the look on his face. He seemed genuinely dumbstruck!

Moving past him, she patted his shoulder consolingly. "Don't worry, Snape. You'll get used to me eventually." With another light laugh, she left him and wandered into the living room, probably to start perusing his library.

He watched her leave the room in silence. What had happened to this girl that she was so very different from the little know-it-all in his potions classes? She was no longer eager to prove herself because, he assumed, she had already done that time and time again. She seemed extremely brave, unafraid, and ferocious, and he realized that she seemed far too old for her supposed years. How old was she, really?

He decided that five minutes was enough time to give her alone in his sitting room before he could safely follow her and not seem like he was actually following her. She had finished the cereal and had set the bowl aside. Instead, she was bent over his desk, a piece of parchment before her and her quill moving unbelievably fast.

"What are you writing?" he asked, cupping his coffee in his hands as he tried to read over her shoulder.

"A to-do list, of sorts. Do you happen to have any of Bellatrix Lestrange's hair around? No? Didn't think so."

She continued to scribble away until he finally blurted out, "Why?"

She grinned sheepishly and leaned back in the chair, tugging on a curly strand of hair. "We were planning to use Polyjuice to impersonate her to get into her vault. She had the Sword of Gryffindor at one point, and another relic that we needed to destroy. We'll just have to find some other way to get in there, what with her in Azkaban still." She paused, then frowned in deep concentration. "Though it might not even be there yet. I know it got moved there eventually, but from where, I'm not sure. Hmm, we'll have to do some research on that one...," she mumbled, trailing off as she shrugged it off and returned to her task.

She scribbled away again, and he settled himself down on the table beside her, hitching himself up so he could sit beside her comfortably. She raised a brow at his choice of chair but otherwise ignored him. He was close enough to see what she was writing, but still far enough away to be comfortable. He had a very large desk for many reasons, though, he had to admit, this had not been one when he had ordered it.

"How old are you, Miss Granger?" Snape asked easily, as if he were asking about the weather.

Hermione paused in her writing, but then picked back up quickly again. "I'm nineteen. I was one of the oldest in my year to begin with, but using a Time-Turner in my third year really tacked on a bit more time." She lifted her eyes to meet his for a moment, as if she were searching for something there, and then she shrugged and went back to work. "You can call me Hermione. From what you've told me of the Headmaster's _plan_ , we'll be together for quite a bit of time from now on. Might as well use each other's names."

Snape tensed for a moment, frightened. He watched this witch at his desk, scribbling away facts about the future, and felt..., well he wasn't quite sure how he felt. There was fear, and uncertainty, but there was also an exhilaration, an excitement that they were finally going to be doing something productive, after such a long silence.

"So, we're still at war in your time. He returned?" He didn't have to explain who _He_ was, and Hermione nodded stonily. Just then, something odd came to his mind. "You call him the Dark Lord. Why?"

Hermione's face twitched and an involuntary shiver raced down her spine. "Towards the end, there was a Taboo on his name. If you said it, you had maybe five minutes before the Snatchers arrived. We got caught once, Harry's _brilliant_ plan to get to Malfoy Manner, the idiot. That's how I ended up here. When we were leaving, Bellatrix threw a spell at us just as we were Disapperated out of there. It hit me, and I started dissolving in this golden, spidery light. And then I woke up in the dungeons."

The scratch of the quill was the only noise for long minutes as he processed what she had told him. Finally, he said, "You were at Malfoy Manor at the mercy of Bellatrix Lestrange. Did she hurt you?"

He wasn't expecting the crazed, wounded bark of laughter that escaped her lips, and she hitched forward, wrapping her arms around her stomach as she tried to control her breathing and calm down. When she could breath regularly again, she nodded, grinning up at him wickedly.

"I didn't scream. She tried to make me scream for almost two hours, but I wouldn't give her the satisfaction. She used the _Cruciatus_ on and off, took a knife to my arm," she said, trailing off as she tugged the sleeve back from her arm, where the word _Mudblood_ was etched across her creamy skin. She tsked herself and mumbled, "Oh, it opened up again." Taking out her wand, she quickly and easily disinfected the wound and healed it up again, and he frowned at how easily she had done it. As he looked at her sunken, pale face, he wondered how many times she had played mediwitch to her little ragtag unit of friends over the years, especially the last year.

"You said you were under the _Cruciatus_? I have a potion to help with the afteraffects." He rose and came back quickly, handing her a bright blue potion. She didn't wait for him to say anything more as she downed the potion like a shot, drinking it all down in one large gulp.

She threw the vial down and spat out, "Gods, but that was disgusting. Thanks." She wiped her mouth and he watched her relax for the first time that evening, sinking back into the chair as she let the potion ease her sore muscles.

"I will need to finish my grading before we can leave tomorrow. I should be done by noon, and we can make arrangements then. Until that time, continue to work on your 'To-Do List', and I will let you be until I am finished."

Hermione was shaking her head, though. "No, it's fine, really. I know everything we need to do, but it's not like we'll do it all in one day. I can help with your grading." When he cast her a dubious look, Hermione scowled. "I helped Madame Pomfrey with Hospital Wing potions for two years, and I had the highest marks in your class until Slughorn took over, and that was only because Harry found your potions textbook in the cabinet."

Snape's eyes seemed to be bugging out of his head. "My potions textbook? What are you talking about?"

She leveled a strong, frightening look at him. "You're the Half-Blood Prince. The book's in the cabinet in the potions classroom. Harry hadn't known that he would qualify for the class until he got to school, and then it was too late to order one for the first day of classes. So Slughorn told him to use one of the old ones. It's probably in there, now. Go and see."

Snape looked furious as he stood and stomped out of the room, returning minutes later holding an old, tattered book. "How could you possibly know that that book was in there? The exact spot! Did you put it there?" he accused, waving the book in her face angrily.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Severus, really. I'm from the future, you dolt!" she said with a grin, wiggling her fingers in a mystical way. "Of course I knew where it was. I was there when Harry and Ron fought over who would not have to use it."

"Potter cheated with my book?" Snape growled.

Hermione sighed loudly. "Yes, we've already established that. But now you have the book, and he won't be able to. Calm down, Mr. Huff-and-Puff." Snape whirled to glare at her, until he realized he had been breathing incredibly hard. He calmed himself down and settled back on the desk. She smiled at him and nodded, leaning forward to pull the giant stack of final essays toward her, scanning them over quickly before letting out a very unladylike snort.

"Good Lord, I feel sorry for you, Severus! I forgot how terrible first year essays are." She divided the stack in half and dumped one half on Snape's lap before digging into her own with an amazing zeal, looking more alive than he had seen her, even while she had been throwing hex after hex at him.

They worked through the night, and Hermione finished her stack at nearly the same time Snape did. She smiled at him and glanced at the clock over the fireplace. "I'm going to get a few hours sleep before we leave. You probably should, too," she said, looking him up and down, noticing that he looked a bit peaky. "We don't have to leave for a while, yet." Without waiting for a response, she wandered away down the hallway and walked into the guest bedroom, closing and warding the door carefully.


	4. Chapter 4

 

**A/N: Hello! First of all, thank you all for reading and reviewing and following! I know this one's a bit shorter, but I promised to get it out by this week. I'll just put what didn't meld with this chapter into the next one. I'm sort of making this up as I go along, so bear with me when it seems like I don't update often. I'm trying, I really am! Also, I would like your opinion. Do you think this should be a Hermione/Severus romance, or just have them as buddies? The only problem with romance is that I can't write romance to save my life, so it might seem a bit forced and not meld quite right with the rest of the story. What do you guys think? Let me know, and without further ado, here's the next chapter!**

 

It was now morning, and Hermione had yet to reemerge from her commandeered room. Snape was puttering about, packing things he might need into a lightweight bag and trying to keep his hands busy while waiting on Hermione. He noticed the bag she had brought with her last night sitting on the table and noticed a faint noise coming from within. Slightly alarmed, Severus aimed his wand at it warily as he fumbled with the clasp.

Once the clasp slid open, a very familiar voice could clearly be heard shouting obscenities and insults, presumably aimed at Hermione.

"Granger! For Merlin's sake, answer me, girl!" Confused, Severus reached into the bag, only momentarily shocked to find his entire arm and more easily fit inside. He felt a frame and quickly tugged it out of the bag, setting the portrait of former Headmaster Black on the sofa, staring at him in confusion.

"Phineus? What exactly is your portrait doing in Miss Granger's bag?" The sudden light and appearance of Snape seemed to shock Black into silence. Then, just as suddenly, he was back full force.

"Severus Snape! How did you get your hands on her bag? She needs that thing, and you know it! We just had this conversation two days ago." Severus raised a brow, waiting for the portrait to realize what was going on.

As the portrait stood there sputtering in indignant anger, Snape heard Hermione's door open and close, and her soft footfalls entering the living room.

"Oh, Phineus. Did you have something you needed to speak with me about?" Hermione stepped forward into the portrait's eyeline, and seemed to send the man into an epileptic fit as he floundered about and glared between her and Snape.

Finally, he ground out, "How are you with him? What is going on, Granger? I was just in the Headmaster's office, and Snape was there going through detention forms. How can he be down here, now? And with you, no less?"

Hermione smiled and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Headmaster. I should have started by explaining. Remember how Harry had that _brilliant_ plan to use the Taboo to get us captured? Well, he went ahead with the plan without thinking it through, _of course_ , and we were taken to Malfoy Manor. Bellatrix was having her fun with me when Dobby, you remember that funny little house elf I told you about? Well, Dobby rescued us, but as he was apparating us all away, Bellatrix sent a parting shot at me. It was some sort of spell that sent me back in time, or perhaps another reality, seeing as nothing has changed in our original timeline. Right?"

Phineus took a deep breath and glared at the girl before him. "How you get yourself into these messes, I'll never understand. Yes, everything is as it was before."

Hermione, looking thoughtful, leaned forward and asked calmly, "Phineus, did Dumbledore order Professor Snape to kill him? I know the curse in his hand was terrible, but I'm assuming it was worse than he let anyone else know. I've put enough information together, I think, to assume he did."

Phineus was still as a real painting for a few long moments, until he finally gave her the slightest of nods. Hermione sighed and frowned, turning to look at the younger Snape at her side, watching everything said with a furrowed brow, seeming confused and even a bit hurt. "Do you think you could help me communicate with Headmaster Snape? Let him know what's happened and that the boys will need help? I know he can't do anything directly, but he can try something. And let him know that I figured out he had to kill Dumbledore, and I still trust him."

Phineus looked at her for a very long time, watching her intently, before nodding and disappearing from the frame. Hermione sat before it on the table, waiting for Black to return with any kind of news. Severus continued to wander about, even going so far as to bring her a selection of breakfast foods and tea, which she accepted distractedly.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, Phineus returned, looking harassed and harried. He ran his hand through his hair and straightened his coat before looking up at Hermione with a smirk. "Well, the old bat didn't take it very well at all, but he seemed very pleased and relieved that you didn't think the worst of him, like everyone else is happy to. He said he would look into finding the boys and helping them how he can, though he's not sure how much help he will be able to give. He told me to let you know that it is most likely another universe we have landed in, as nothing has changed for him."

Hermione pondered that information for a moment before nodding. "Let him know that I'm perfectly fine staying here, and he needn't try and find a way to send me back; I'm here now and might as well make the best of it. No need to burden him further while there's a war going on, still. Did he say how things are progressing there recently?"

Growling, Phineus spit out, "Those Death Eaters masquerading as professors have nearly gone too far on quite a few students. Even I never did anything remotely similiar when I was Headmaster. It makes me sick, and I joined together with the other portraits and the ghosts to cause as much trouble for those bastards as possible."

Smiling, Hermione nodded. "Thank you, Headmaster. That's very kind of you." Looking down at her watch, she sighed. "I'm going to put you back in the bag, for now. Severus and I are going horucrux hunting this summer!" Phineus didn't answer, just raised a brow at her faked enthusiasm. "Oh, don't start. I know it needs to be done, but seriously, I just did this, this is getting ridiculous." She rolled her eyes as the Headmaster snorted his amusement, and she gently hid him away in her bag once more after a hasty goodbye.

Turning back to Severus with a sigh, she saw the burning curiosity in his eyes as he tried to pretend he truly wasn't. Taking pity on him, she flopped down on the sofa with a smile and waved her hand at him. "Go ahead, you have questions. Ask away, we have time."

Snape seemed to gather himself up before replying. "Why are you carrying around Phineus Black's portrait? And where did you get it? That's not the one from the Headmaster's office."

She nodded tranquily. "The portrait is his from the Black family home, Grimmauld Place. I took it from there before we went on the run so we could keep in contact with the rest of the wizarding world, and know what was going on."

"And just how did you get him to stop shouting about Mudbloods and actually get him to help? And be civil, no less."

"He took a liking to me, even though I'm Muggleborn. He knew how much I needed his help, and he also feels useful this way. He's quite good to go to for advice, as well. If you can get around his Slytherin answers."

Snape nodded, quiet for a moment before his next question. "You said you trust him, the other me, I mean. Why is that? Until yesterday, you thought he was a murderer and a traitor. Now suddenly it's all the Headmaster's fault and I was just following orders?"

Nodding along, Hermione couldn't deny that was exactly what had happened. "You've been my Professor for six years, now. You've always been strict and mostly unfair, but I can't see you as the consummate Death Eater, killing the Headmaster just because you could and because it would bring you higher up in the Dark Lord's orginization. Actually, that's a reason I thought it was all part of Dumbledore's plan. It just had too many good points to be pure chance. And I trust you, I always have." She shrugged easily and then stretched, standing up to slip her shoes back on. "I think that's enough revelations for one morning, don't you? Let's get started."

Leaving the conversation at that, Hermione stood and made her way toward the door, slipping her bag securely over her shoulder once more. She smiled at Snape and then effectively disappeared from sight, and Snape sighed. Of course she would need to be invisible while in the castle, no one else but Dumbledore knew she was there.

He squared his shoulders and assumed a dark scowl, ensuring any students they might run into would most likely turn tail and scurry away long before they got within talking distance. He heard Hermione stiffle a giggle at his side and internally rolled his eyes, taking long strides out of his quarters and down the hall. The soft pitter-patter of Hermione's small feet sounded from his right but his own footsteps masked them perfectly. Hoping they didn't run into anyone, they set off; Hermione planning on which books she should look through first and Severus wondering just how his summer became this crazy.


	5. RESEARCH and horcruxes

"To the library, then," Hermione's disembodied voice whispered from his left. He tilted his head slightly in agreement and strode forward, robes billowing. A soft giggle was heard from Hermione's vicinity and Snape's eyes narrowed slightly in question. "You're billowing again. I haven't seen that in a year. We all used to wonder how you did it." She giggled again and Snape relaxed slightly, feeling like rolling his eyes but abstaining. Barely.

"You should try to be a bit quieter, there are still children in this castle. No one will be in the library except Madame Pince, but until we get there, we could run into anyone." A soft sigh came from Hermione, and then utter silence. Snape continued on, not quite paying attention to his surroundings as he marched to his destination. Somewhere on the second floor, he heard a surprised gasp from his companion but it was too late to stop his collision with the three students coming around the corner, laden down with trunks.

Taking a large step back, he glared down at the three young students and winced. They just had to run into these three students. "Potter, Weasley, Granger." He smirked internally when he saw their eyes go wide and the little Granger girl let out an eep. His enjoyment dampened slightly when he looked at the little girl and thought of how she had changed in so short a time into the woman hidden beside him. Eyes narrowing, he shoved the thoughts away and frowned. "Well, what are you waiting for? You have a train to catch, do you not?"

That got them moving. The tiny first years gathered up their things and ran off down the hall, only the Granger girl remembering to shout an apology over her shoulder as they made their getaway. Snape watched them go until they disappeared around the corner heading for the stairs that would take them to the first floor, before turning forward and returning with his walk to the library.

They kept on in silence for a few moments before Hermione broke in again. "Well, we've already begun to change things. That never happened when I was a first year." Hermione seemed content to leave her observation at that as they entered the library, Snape holding the door open for her. She touched his elbow on her way past, letting him know she was safely inside, and he let the door slide closed.

They wandered to a table in the back of the library, hoping Pince would be kept busy for the morning while they researched. Hermione took a final, cursory look around before letting her spell dissolve, revealing herself. She set her bag down on the table and then set up a heavy silencing and privacy spell around their alcove. Just to be safe, she tapped her wand to her head a few times, subtly changing her appearance in case anyone wandered in unannounced. Her hair became straight and dark, her skin taking on a healthier, tanner tone, and her figure filled out so that she didn't look quite so emmaciated.

Snape watched her with undisguised interest. "If you do not mind me asking," he began, watching her plop down at the table and tug out a beaten Muggle notebook. "How have you progressed so much in such a short time? There are many graduating seventh years that do not have your prowess; even fewer that could have taken me down multiple times."

Hermione sighed, playing with the edges of the notebook before opening it and scribbling notes within. Finally, she looked up and smiled. "I think that's a conversation for another time. Let's just say, I was very observant. Very determined not to be a victim in this war." She nodded to herself, staring at the tabletop intently, steely pride shining in her dark eyes. She flicked her gaze up to her companion and grinned lazily, leaning back in her chair comfortably.

They continued to study each other for a few heavy moments, before Hermione's eyes widened in abject horror. "Oh, no. Harry. I forgot about Harry!" she shrieked. Her long, thin hand fluttered to her mouth, completing the look of fear almost bleeding from her.

"What? What happens to the brat?" Severus asked, confused. The boy was going home for the summer. Surely he would be safe?

Her eyes hardened and she stood, leaning her hands on the table to more easily throw her words in his face. "His relatives are angry with him about the way Hagrid barged into their hideaway to retrieve Harry before his first year. They take it out on him this summer. The moment he walks through their door, his things will be thrown into the cupboard under the stairs and he will be locked into his cousin's second bedroom. They put bars on his window and a catflap on his doop, for Merlin's sake! He didn't like talking about that summer, but what little I got from him over the years, he barely got fed or allowed out to use the bathroom. He will not be staying there. Blood wards be damned!" she growled. She knew what those people did and would do to her friend, and she couldn't live with herself if she just let it happen again.

Severus frowned. That didn't sound like what he had been told of Potter's home life. Dumbledore had assured him on multiple occasions that the boy was spoiled and cared for, that he wanted for nothing and basked in his relatives' praise and love.

He opened his mouth to say as much, when Hermione hissed in anger and glared at him. He held his tongue, staring at her in shock. He had never been screeched at like that, before.

"We are going to pick Harry up tonight. I'm starting to think Dumbledore's blood wards excuse is simply that, an excuse. Every summer, Harry spent different amounts of time at his relatives' house, to 'recharge' the wards." Severus raised an eyebrow at that. That sounded highly unlikely. Hermione nodded in agreement. "Wards don't work that way. I know that now, but none of us knew that then. Well, now, but you know what I mean. Harry just did what Dumbledore told him to, whether he was suffering or not. He almost didn't make it to school second year, because the Dursley's wouldn't let him out of his room. The Weasley twins and Ron broke him out using Arthur's flying Ford Anglia." Hermione shook her head with a wry grin, remembering their overembelished stories about that night.

"So, we're not researching?" Severus asked, just to be sure he understood where this rant of her's was going.

Hermione rolled her eyes and sighed. "We have time until the train gets to London. We can apparate there, the children can't. Until then, we can research. But it's not like we can't come back."

Tapping her fingers on the table, Hermione reasoned out where to start. "Now, right now I know for sure the location of the locket, the diary, and the cup. However, none of them will be easy to get to. Slytherin's locket is in the Black ancestral home, Tom Riddle's diary is in the possession of Lucius Malfoy, and Hufflepuff's cup is in Bellatrix Lestrange's vault in Gringotts." The tapping continued as she thought. They hadn't figured out the other horcruxes before she had been cursed, but knowing what she did, she felt somewhat confidant in where to start researching.

"It seems that he focused mostly on artifacts from the Founders. Slytherin's locket and Hufflepuff's cup. What other artifacts are there around that are widely known to have belonged to the Founders?" Severus thought out loud, running a long finger across his lips as he though.

Hermione nodded, and walked away into the stacks, coming back with a well-loved old book she had spent many a day with. Hogwarts, a History held in one hand, Hermione grinned down at Severus. "Best place to start, right?" Severus snorted and leaned back in his chair, watching her plop down and start flipping through the thick book, barely scanning it.

After a few minutes of furious flipping, Hermione grinned wide and looked up at Severus. "Ravenclaw's diadem. It's been missing for years, but that's the most well-known possession of Ravenclaw's." Her smile faltered for a moment as she seemed to realize something. "Do you think that he would make a horcrux from something from Gryffindor? An argument could be made either way, don't you think? He hates Gryffindor, yet it would fit with the Founder's items."

Severus took the time to think about it, before shaking his head. "I highly doubt he would put a part of his soul anywhere near something of Gryffindor's. He despises Gryffindors, naturally, him being a Slytherin. No, we can most assuredly rule out anything of his. How many do you think he made?" Severus asked curiously, noticing her sudden preoccupation, her eyes shifting away awkwardly. "Hermione?"

He leaned forward, locking eyes with her intently. "What? What more?" he asked softly, watching her closely. If she tried to lie to him...

"There's another one. No one ever told us, but I've had my suspicions. I'm nearly one hundred percent sure I'm correct, but if I'm wrong..."

"Hermione, just tell me. Spit it out."

Sighing heavily, Hermione said slowly, "I think Harry might be a horcrux. Accidentally, of course. But a horcrux all the same," she whispered, staring down at her hands blankly, waiting for Severus to explode.

He slumped down in his seat, unsure how to feel about this newest revelation. If he got any more surprises today, he would surely keel over. He tried to sift through everything he knew about the boy. He had survived the Killing Curse cast by the Dark Lord, destroying the man's body at the same time. Surely that was more than enough for a horcrux to be made, even if it was accidental. Suddenly, everything Dumbledore had made him do, made him promise, made sense. To protect the boy, to train him, to keep him safe. Dumbledore knew Potter was a horcrux, knew that the boy would have to die before the Dark Lord could be killed. A terrible anger and betrayal flooded through Severus's system before he slammed his occlumency shields back up, breathing deeply to calm himself.

It obviously hadn't been quick enough, though, because Hermione was looking at him with big, wide eyes, waiting on pins and needles for him to say something. "Really? Well, that puts some things into perspective, then." He turned his burning glare to the tabletop and let a long, strained breath out through his teeth.

"I'm sorry. I know how much you've been through and would have gone through to protect him. I really am sorry." Hermione stared down at her folded hands, waiting for his anger to pass.

"Hermione," Severus growled a few minutes later. He sounded both furious and defeated in the same moment. She had never heard him sound like that before, and lifted shocked eyes up to his face.

"I know this is not your fault. So Harry Potter is probably a horcrux. We will figure it out when the time comes. Other than those four, how many others are there?" He sounded far too calm for her comfort, but Hermione answered him anyway.

"Two more. We knew there were six for sure, and then I figured out that Harry is a horcrux as well. It makes sense, though, if you think about it. The number seven in arithmancy is very important, some would argue the most magical number there is. It would make perfect sense for the Dark Lord to have created seven horcruxes."

Severus nodded, agreeing with her logic. Now they had four known and two unknown horcruxes. Something hit him, then. They were going to retrieve Potter later that afternoon. He narrowed his eyes at Hermione, glaring heatedly. "Just what do you have in mind for Potter this summer? He most certainly cannot come along with us on this horcrux hunt! And Dumbledore will surely know if he never returns home. Also, you most certainly cannot reveal yourself to him. You will have to create a new persona for yourself, as it is, if you plan to act openly."

Hermione frowned, looking deep in thought. Severus couldn't help but snark, "Know any good forgers for a new birth certificate and life history?" He smirked at her while she glared.

Finally, she deflated and sunk down in her chair. "No, sadly. Being on the run does not suddenly grant you becoming best buddies with the criminal underground." She eyed him carefully, then asked, "You know any?"

He rolled his eyes. "I'm sure I could ask around. You will need to come up with a story to tell Potter tonight, however."

Sighing, Hermione nodded and returned their book to the shelf. Checking her watch, she realized it was much later than she thought it was. "How about we grab something to eat and then head out to pick up Harry? They should be pulling into the station soon."

Severus nodded in agreement and they returned to his office for a quick lunch before wandering out the front door. As they walked to the apparation point, Hermione felt the uncomfortable, prickling feeling of eyes on her. Shivering, she stopped and slowly turned around, looking around her immediate area before looking up at the castle itself. She was too far away to see any definite figures in the windows, but she saw a bright blue clad figure quickly move away from a window high up on the castle and growled. Dumbledore had been watching them walk away. Her skin rippled with the anger she felt at the Headmaster, but she quickly reeled it in, taking deep breaths.

When she turned back to Severus, he simply raised a brow at her and continued on. "You should not let the Headmaster get to you so much. He will do what he thinks best, and there is nothing we can do to dissuade him from his goals. In his mind, he is the only one with all the answers."

Hermione huffed and shook her head in exasperation. "The man is not infalliable. He makes mistakes as well," she growled, his hands in tight fists at her sides.

Severus studied her for a long moment before he inclined his head and simply said, "Indeed."

Hermione sent him a grateful smile before taking a deep breath and disappearing on the spot. Severus followed her seconds later, a small smirk on his face.

 

Dumbledore watched Severus and Ms. Granger walking toward the barrier of the wards around Hogwarts, no doubt on their way to do something important. He couldn't shake the wrongness and anger he felt about the situation, though. He was angry with the wisp of a girl, who had simply shown up out of nowhere and attacked them, all the while spouting off knowledge she should not have.

He was not in control of this situation, this war, any longer and it made him furious. He was the Leader of the Light, how dare this little girl barge in and take everything into her own hands?!

He had to admit that the knowledge she held behind her impressive occlumency shields had to be terribly important. Her knowledge should be his. Just the thought of her refusing to work with him left him shaking in anger. Just looking at her, seven stories down and so far away already made him sick to his stomach. He could not control this woman. She seemed to know things about what was to happen in this war. And if she knew about that, what did she know about him? He did not want to cross her and find out.

Bitterness coated his aura as he glared at his spy and the time traveler spiriting him away with her. As he leaned closer to the window, he saw her stiffen and turn to face him. She scanned the windows of the school before stopping at his window. He stayed a moment too long, glaring at her, knowing she wouldn't be able to see it from her distance. He stepped away from the window when she turned away once more and apparated away with Severus.

Dumbledore made a vow to himself at that moment, anger clouding his better judgement. He would get her under his thumb. She would be his pawn in this war, whether she liked it or not. Her information was powerful, and he wanted that power.

And he would have it. Freely or forcefully. He would have it.


	6. Picking Up Harry

 

**A/N: I just wanted to thank everyone for their reviews, kudos, subscriptions, and comments! I really appreciate them! Now, enjoy the chapter!**

 

When they finally made their way onto the platform, they found it extremely empty. Looking around with a huff, Hermione shoved her long black hair out of her face and scanned the platform for any hint of Harry.

"We are too late, it would seem," Severus drawled, glaring around at their surroundings. So far, the only person they had seen milling about was a station employee.

Hermione just rolled her eyes and started walking towards the barrier between the Muggle and Wizarding worlds. With a long-suffering sigh, Severus took off after her, grumbling all the way through the barrier. "Surely we've missed him. His guardians will have no doubt taken him home by now! The station was dead."

Shaking her head, Hermione walked forward until she caught sight of the tell-tale messy black hair. There he was, sitting in a corner of the Muggle train station on his trunk, Hedwig clicking at him softly. Strenthening her glamour and putting a sweet smile on her face, Hermione waved for Severus to stay back and then made her way steadily towards the small eleven year old.

With one final deep breath, Hermione stopped in front of Harry's trunk and waited for him to raise his bent head to face her. He looked confused for a long moment before Hermione smiled calmly down at him and squatted in front of him, taking a good look at her young friend. He was far skinnier than she ever remembered him being, with ill-fitting glasses and clothes. "Hello, Harry," she said simply, letting him study her in turn.

"'lo, ma'am," he mumbled, pulling into himself, making himself smaller than before. It was almost shocking to her; Hermione had forgotten how very shy the boy had been around adults, especially women.

"You just came from Hogwarts, didn't you?" she continued, taking one of his small hands in her own and trying to only give off good vibes. She knew Harry was very good at reading people and the feelings they gave off. When he nodded to her question, he looked down at their joined hands with something close to shock, and Hermione sympathized. "My friend and I heard about your conversation with the Headmaster, this morning. That you wanted to stay and he told you no."

Harry gaped at her in shock, before stuttering quickly, "It's a-alright, really. I didn't mean to cause any problems, I just really don't get along with my relatives and they don't get along with me, and I just thought, wouldn't it be wonderful if I could stay at Hogwarts all year? And I thought I might as well ask, you know, in case I could." His voice was wistfull and full of longing, and Hermione nodded to show the boy he was being heard.

"I totally understand, Harry. Like I said, my friend and I heard about your conversation and what the Headmaster told you. However, we don't agree that you should have to go back to people who treat you so badly, and we decided to do something about it."

The shocked look still hadn't left Harry's face and it was so intense that she almost wanted to laugh. Suddenly, though, he looked wary and frightened. "How do you know anything about my life at the Dursley's?" he asked suspiciously, but kept his hand in hers, almost subconciously.

"Let's just say I've done my research. If I thought they were taking good care of you, I wouldn't be here now, would I?" Harry shrugged and Hermione smiled, once more. "I want to take you home with us, now. I'm afraid of what the Dursley's might do, if they get you back now. I want you to be safe and happy."

Harry seemed to think that over carefully until he eyed her shrewdly and asked, "Who's your friend? I've never seen you around school, before."

"Now, I know it might not endear me to you, but my friend is Professor Snape." The boy's eyebrows seemed to shoot to his hairline and he frowned hard, flexing his hand a few times in Hermione's before sighing.

"Are you sure it's okay? Professor Snape doesn't really like me," he whispered, looking up at Hermione through long lashes.

Hermione grinned and tapped Harry on the nose fondly. "I'm quite sure. I've known Professor Snape for a few years now, and he's not truly as terrible as he portrays himself to be, I promise. Everything will be alright, Harry." Hermione stood and held her hand out to Harry. "Why don't we shrink down your trunk and let Hedwig meet us there? I'm quite sure she wouldn't appreciate apparation." Harry nodded and opened Hedwig's cage for her.

"Now, Hedwig. We're going to be staying with this nice lady and Professor Snape this summer. Do you think you can find your way to us?" When the lovely snowy owl hooted in reply and soared away, Harry turned back to Hermione with a confused look. "Sorry, ma'am. You know my name, but I don't know your's."

Hermione thought for a quick moment before choosing the first name she could think of. "My name is Morgana Wilkins, Harry. Now, I think we've kept Professor Snape waiting long enough, don't you?" Harry smiled sheepishly and stood quickly, his hand still wrapped up in her own. Hermione tapped Harry's trunk and shrunk it down, then shrunk Hedwig's cage down, as well. She stowed them away in her bottomless bag and then tugged Harry toward the shadowy alcove that Severus had waited in. When Harry caught sight of Snape, he paled slightly and huddled closer to Hermione while still trying to seem tall and confidant.

"Hello, Professor. I... I appreciate you and Miss Wilkins letting me stay with you this summer. Thank you," he said calmly, squaring his shoulders and looking the Professor in the eye. Hermione smiled proudly down at her young friend and then gave a pointed look to Severus, one that screamed _Play nice or so help me_. He sighed heavily, rolling his eyes at this annoying woman he was stuck with, and glared down at Harry. Hermione noticed it wasn't as heated as it usually was, though, and smiled even more proudly at them trying to get along.

"It is not a problem, Potter." He took a deep breath and started wandering off, having full faith that the others would follow him as he continued on with his spiel. "There will be rules to follow and consequences should you break them while you stay under my roof, Mr. Potter. Understood?" He stopped abruptly and stared down the small boy over his hooked nose and waited for his answer.

"Yes, sir." Harry nodded but squeezed Hermione's hand hard, leaning into her the tiniest bit. Hermione ran her thumb over his tiny hand in comfort and tugged them along once more to their destination.

When they finally stopped walking, they found themselves in a dark, deserted alley. Hermione tightened her grip on Harry's hand and then reached out for Severus. "Care to take us both? I've never been to your home." Severus let out a heavy breath but nodded, tucking them both in close to his body in a semblance of a hug and twisted, the tugging of apparation overtaking them.

They were on their way to Prince Manor.


	7. Welcome to Prince Manor

They wound up in the entry hall of Prince Manor a few moments later, and both Hermione and Harry stared around in curiosity. "My, Severus! This place is beautiful." Her smile for him was nearly blinding. He had a hard time keeping the emotion off of his face, but decided the smallest of proud smiles could pass through.

With a tilt of his head, Severus said, "This was my grandparent's home, and after they passed, I inherited it. To be honest, I do not spend much time here. Tippy!" A moment later, there was a pop and a little house elf appeared, a large smile on her face as she looked up at her Master.

"Master Severus, sir! You is being home once more!" Severus nodded to the little elf and motioned toward the others.

"We need three suites set up, if you could, Tippy. We will be staying most of the summer."

With a giddy shriek, the elf smiled and nodded happily. "Right away, Master Severus, sir! Right away!" She popped away and Severus motioned for the others to follow him further into the house.

"That should keep her busy for a while, why don't we have our talk, hmm?" Harry shifted nervously beside Hermione, but Hermione calmed him by wrapping her arms around him quickly. They settled down on two sofas sitting across from each other. Harry sat close to Hermione and Hermione, in turn, wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Severus sat across from them and studied the young boy closely, before beginning.

"This is my home, Mr. Potter, and as such, I would ask you to treat it with respect. If you make a mess, you will clean it up. You will not leave your things laying around. You will have set chores, which will mostly be helping to clear the table after meals or helping in the garden, seeing as we have a small army of house elves to do most of the work. I am not asking much of you, just that you treat my things and my home with respect, and clean up after yourself. In return, you may reside here with us for the rest of the summer." He paused here and met Hermione's eyes, silently asking how much she wanted revealed about their summer plans.

Hermione decided just to take over herself from there. "Severus and I have some things to take care of over the summer, as well. We might have to leave you here on your own for a few hours at a time. I hope we can trust you to look after yourself that long, and not burn the house down?" She stared down at Harry, and the boy blushed, nodding silently.

"Of course, ma'am. I wouldn't do anything like that!" Hermione nodded and pecked him on the cheek, his face turning red once more.

Severus rolled his eyes and settled further into his armchair. "This boy is nothing but trouble. It follows him around like a lost puppy. It wouldn't surprise me if we left only to come back to smouldering ruins." Harry frowned at that but knew better than to argue with what his teacher was saying. He was sad that the man seemed hell-bent on curbing this new woman's view of him.

"Severus, that's not true and you know it. Harry's a very sweet, very mature child. He'll be just fine on his own; your home is safe, don't worry." She smiled cheekily at the frowning man and ruffled Harry's hair. "Why don't we worry about that when it comes up. Right now, we need to cover our tracks in case Dumbledore starts asking questions about where Harry has gone."

Harry looked confused, then. "What do you mean? Professor Dumbledore doesn't know I'm here?" All his friends' warnings that Professor Snape really was evil started filling his mind then, and he looked warily up at the man. Just because he hadn't actually been after the Stone this year, didn't mean he was on the side of the Light. His heart started pouding as he berated himself in his mind. How stupid could he be, agreeing to go away with strangers for the summer! Yes, he wanted to be free of the Dursley's, but that didn't mean he wanted to be dead at the end of the summer, either.

"We didn't agree with Dumbledore that you were safest at your Aunt's house. We sort of went behind his back and took you away. I doubt he'll know you're even gone until Mrs. Figg becomes suspicious and tries to investigate. But that won't be for at least a week, yet. We still have time to make it legal for us to have you for the summer before he realizes what's going on." Hermione could see Harry giving Severus wide-eyed looks and wondered if he had only just realized how easily he had agreed to staying with a man who's loyalties he questioned so heavily.

Severus saw everything as well, and decided to dispell the boy's fears before he did something stupid. Leaning forward and deliberately locking eyes with the child, he said clearly and calmly, "I am not going to harm you, Potter, so stop thinking it so loudly. We both read you loud and clear." He raised an amused eyebrow when the boy blushed and tried to look away, his eyes landing on the door longingly. "You are not being held captive here, but it would be in your best interest to stay within the wards unless you are with one of us. I do not want to find you near those wards," Severus warned, pointing a long finger at the boy.

Harry nodded and waited. He had decided to find out all the facts before he did anything rash. The man was already angry with him still about the whole debacle with the Stone at the end of the year. Maybe the professor really was right, and he did rush into things too much.

Snape nodded at the boy, and then stood, beckoning for him to follow. "I will show you your room, and then you can unpack your trunk and clean yourself up before lunch." Harry nodded and followed the professor up the stairs. Hermione leaned back into the couch and relaxed. They still had so much to do, but they still had time.

When Severus returned without Harry a few minutes later, the first thing out of his mouth was a wry, "Morgana Wilkes? Really? Where did that come from?" He looked like he was fighting a smile, and that only made her grumble more.

"It was the first thing I could think of off of the top of my head," she whined, glaring up at Snape from her slumped position on the sofa.

He did let an amused snort escape at that and they sat in companionable silence for a few more moments before Snape said quietly, "You know, you shouldn't lie to him about who you are. If he trusts Morgana Wilkes only to find out she was lying to him from the moment you two met, he won't trust you ever again. He'll most likely hate you."

Hermione's eyes scrunched closed in frustration, but she nodded along. "I know, but it's not safe for him to know right now. If anyone searches through his thoughts, they won't find me, they will find Morgana Wilkes. If he learns Occlumency, I will think about telling him." She raised one long finger in the air, emphazising her point.

Severus leveled a steady look at her. After a long moment, he relented. "Fine. Make your own decision, but when the boy finds out who you are, I will definitely be telling you 'I told you so'."

They lapsed into silence once more, but neither of them realized that their little conversation had been overheard.


	8. The Wares of Knockturn Alley

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: First off, thank you everyone for your reviews and comments! Even if you hate it, I'd love to hear feedback so I know if I can make improvements. I had some comments about Hermione, so I just wanted to clear something up really quick. Just so everyone is aware, the Hermione in this story is NOT the same Hermione from canon. She has a different story but it hasn't been explained yet, only hinted at. Also, I don't mean to make Severus in to a sidekick, but I'm trying to flesh out Hermione's character right now, so Severus's character has become a bit flat, but I'm trying to work on that! I promise! I want their relationship to be a bit more like partners, and once the story really gets picking up, it will work out better. Now, enough of me, here's the next chapter!

Harry took a deep breath, trying to shove the conversation he had just overheard to the back of his mind. He didn't have all of the facts, and he refused to look this gift horse in the mouth. These people had taken him away from the Dursley's. He honestly couldn't care less who the woman really was, as long as he never had to go back to that house.

He made sure to make just enough noise to be heard coming down the stairs and then came to stand beside the sofa the strange woman sat on. He looked between Professor Snape and Miss Wilkes before taking his seat back next to the young woman. He studied her features out of the corner of his eye as he pretended to look around the room.

She was young, probably only just out of Hogwarts, though he didn't recognize her at all. She had long black hair similar to Professor Snape's, but more wavy and less greasy. Her eyes were a sparkling brown and they reminded him of someone, but he couldn't quite place who. She was tan and thin, and very pretty. He blushed when he admitted that to himself, and then quickly looked away from her again, shifting his gaze to the Potion Master's bookshelves once more.

Neither adult seemed to pay him any mind, as they kept looking at each other, pulling faces and scowling every now and then. It almost seemed like they were conversing, but Harry wasn't really sure how that would be possible, unless they could read each other's minds or something.

Harry turned his attention to his professor next, once he knew they were caught up again in their own not-conversation. The man was just as unhappy and sneering as usual, but every now and then he saw the man's dark eyes crinkle, as if he wanted to laugh but wouldn't. The way he looked at the woman made Harry question just what the relationship between these two was. Morgana obviously wasn't who she said she was, but she had also said it was important that no one know who she was, so the knowledge must be dangerous.

With his recent brush with dangerous situations, he was almost relieved to not have to deal with it directly.

Finally, the adults broke eye contact and Miss Wilkes turned to the boy at her side. "What would you like for lunch, Harry?" she asked quietly, turning to look him straight in the eye. The boy's eyes widened and he quickly broke eye contact when he felt the magic buzzing between them. Once he looked away, it seemed to pull back and then disappear. Though he found it odd, he didn't think any more on it, and answered her question.

"Whatever you two are having is fine," he said quietly, looking over at his professor hopefully. The man nodded and called out for the house elf. The little elf caught all of Harry's attention and the boy watched the little being with wide eyes. When it disappeared once more with their lunch order, Harry asked timidly, "What, what was that?"

Hermione smiled softly and explained, "That was a house elf. Many pureblood families have them to help keep up with housework and making meals." Harry's eyes widened even more and he flinched hard into the sofa, staring at where the little elf had disappeared moments before.

"They don't, you know, get hurt or anything, do they? I mean, they get clothes and food and somewhere to sleep and no one hurts them, right?" The boy was shaken badly, and Severus's eyes snapped to him instantly.

"Many purebloods treat house elves like slaves. I, however, do not. My elves have been in my family for many, many generations and are treated with respect. I expect you to do the same, is that understood, Mr. Potter?" Severus hissed at the child, and watched as he shook once and then melted into the sofa, nodding eagerly.

"Yes, sir." Severus glared at the boy, not sure what he was hiding. From what Hermione had said would have happened to him had they not taken him in for the summer he could only assume the rotten Dursley's had treated him like most purebloods treated their house elves, and the thought alone made his blood boil.

Forcing his shields back up to rein in his temper, Severus nodded curtly and relaxed once again. The silence was uncomfortable as they waited for their lunches to be brought to them. Finally, after a short wait, the house elf popped back in to the room, smiling widely.

"Food is being ready, Master Severus!" it squeaked happily. Severus nodded and rose, beckoning for the others to follow as the elf disappeared again. They settled at the table and Hermione chattered at them both comfortably, drawing Harry away from his dark thoughts about his time with the Dursleys. Once they finished their food, they returned to the sitting room, Severus handing out books to both Harry and Hermione to pass the time. Harry found his surprisingly interesting and smiled up at his professor, who simply nodded back and settled into his own seat.

Dinner followed the same routine as lunch, and a few hours afterwards Harry was getting ready for bed when someone knocked on his door. He was already wearing the pyjamas that Ron had let him keep once he had seen the state of what he had origninally been wearing to bed at the beginning of the year at Hogwarts. They were a little bit big on him, but they were better than what he used to wear.

Miss Wilkins stood there, smiling calmly down at Harry. "Hello, Harry. Are you ready for bed?" Harry nodded timidly, his eyes wide. What was she doing, actually coming to say goodnight and tuck him in?

"Come along, get into bed." She placed a soft hand on his shoulder and guided him toward his bed. He crawled into the large, plush bed and snuggled down under the covers, looking up at her with a small smile. She sat down on the edge of the bed, smoothing out the covers and patting his hands softly. "How do you like it here so far?"

Harry looked away for a moment, his thoughts running back to the conversation he had overheard earlier. He wanted to trust her, so much, but he just didn't know if he should.

"It's much better than the Dursley's house," he said uncertainly.

Hermione's laugh was soft and bitter, but she nodded. Anything, really, was better than the Dursley's.

She stroked her hand down the blanket slowly, staring out the window for a few moments before turning to look at Harry again. "If you need anything tonight, call for Tippy, alright? She'll get one of us or anything you need." She reached up and stroked Harry's cheek with a sad smile on her face. Had he really ever been this tiny, this sweet and trusting, this quiet? She leaned down and pressed a light kiss to the boy's forhead and then quickly stood, striding toward the door with long steps, until she heard Harry call out behind her. She turned slightly, looking over her shoulder warily, but Harry was smiling sleepily up at her.

"Goodnight, Miss Morgana Wilkes." She sighed and nodded, closing the door behind her softly. Once the door was closed, she leaned against the solid wood and tried to regulate her breathing. This was going to be so much harder than she had orignially thought. How long could she successfully lie to one of her oldest friends? Oh, who was she kidding, she had been lying to everyone for years before any of this had happened.

Shaking herself back to the present, Hermione squared her shoulders and made her way back to the foyer. They had things to get done tonight, after all.

Severus stood near the door, waiting on her. He was speaking to the little elf softly, probably reminding her once again that if Harry were to call for her, she was to do whatever he needed, within reason.

"Are we ready?" she asked, wrapping a warm jacket around herself. Severus inclined his head and held open the door for her. "Are you sure you know someone who can get me a fake identity?" she asked skeptically, keeping her voice low.

He just scowled. "I was a Death Eater, and I have many 'shady' associates. I'm sure one of them knows how to create a false identity for you that will hold up to inspection. Now, let's get going. I do not like leaving the boy here by himself, especially at night."

Hermione snickered and poked Severus in the chest as they started walking down the lane. "Careful, Severus. People might begin to think you care!"

Severus's scowl darkened and he grumbled something under his breath, but Hermione's eyes were sharp and even in the dark, she could see the slight rouge that flashed across his cheeks.

As they reached the end of the lane as well as the wards, Hermione reached out for Severus's hands and the man apparated them away to Knockturn Alley.

The alley was both dark and smelly, but Hermione had gotten used to ignoring terrible smells in her year living with two boys in a tent in the wilderness. In a strange fit of synchronation, they flipped their hoods up and hid their faces in the shadows. Though Severus's voice was easily recognizable, Hermione would have no trouble going by unnoticed.

Their first stop was a wandshop to get Hermione fitted with a wand a bit more matched to her than Bellatrix's. Since her wand had been confiscated by the Snatchers back in her original universe, she had been making due with the wand she had stolen from Bellatrix.

"McTaggart, get out here," Severus hissed, walking in to a dimly lit shop cramped with odds and ends. Hermione followed close behind, keeping herself as inconspicuous as possible.

A short, ugly man with long, scraggly grey hair stumbled out from a back room and Hermione was far from impressed by his appearance.

She quickly slipped on a facade, her 'Pureblood Bitch' mask, as she liked to call it (one she had worked long and hard to chishel into perfection), and sneered down at the man who stank of firewhiskey. "I thought you said this filth was the best wandmaker in Knockturn, my friend? I am," she paused for effect as she moved her head up and down, as if she were sizing the drunken wizard up, "wholly unimpressed." Her voice was cold as ice and seemed to sober the little wizard up right away.

"Now, now, Miss. Please. I must say, appearances can be misleading. Now, now, if you come over here, Miss, we'll get you sorted right quick with a lovely wand, yes, we will, we will."

Hermione pulled herself up straight and tall, still glaring out at the man even if he couldn't see her. "Now, Miss. We here like to make our wands, 'stead of handing you one after another of them premade ones." Hermione was intrigued by that, but didn't really want to wait too long to get her hands on a wand of her own.

"And how long am I meant to be kept waiting on a wand that is newly made?" she asked pointedly. Though the man couldn't see her bared teeth or the manic look in her eyes, he seemed to sense something of them as he flinched and fumbled with his materials as he stuttered out an answer.

"A few hours at most, Miss, I swear it. You could come back and pick it up first thing tomorrow morning, I'd happily work on it all night for you, Miss," he sniveled, trying to keep a bit of distance between them both. Severus had remained quiet through the exchange, but was thoroughly enjoying himself. Hermione knew how to get what she wanted, it seemed.

" _First_ thing in the morning," she threatened lowly, the whites of her teeth flashing for a moment as she loomed over the small wizard, and then, as if a switch had been turned, she was standing a few feet away, tall and demure as if nothing at all had happened moments before.

The shopkeeper was obviously grateful for the distance, but still nervous at her proximity to his person. He took a deep, fortifying breath, and then held up a box of cores and woods.

"If you would, Miss, you need to select a core and a wood, for your new wand." He knudged them closer to the edge of the counter, and then took a large step back as she stepped forward once more, rummaging through the boxes. She was growing frustrated after a few minutes, not sure what she was supposed to be looking for, when Severus stilled her movements and explained.

"Let your magic out, and see which core and wood reacts with it best. You will feel it when the correct one is chosen." He then released her hands and watched as she dove back in with a new vigor, this time letting her magic wash over the general area around her. She drew some slight fascination from the fact that the little shopkeeper whimpered the moment she unleashed her magic in the tiny shop. After a few moments, she grabbed two materials and set them down on the countertop with a resounding thud.

"These will do fine. I do not care to know the history of the materials," she said sharply, as the man's eyes widened and he went to open his mouth, but quickly snapped it shut once more. "I expect this wand to be finished by the morn. You will be paid then." With that, she turned on her heel and followed Severus out of the suffocating little shop. They walked a few stores away before Hermione let her mask dissolve away. The only indications Severus could see of this was the relaxation of her shoulders and a more natural set to her steps.

"Now on to an identity, correct?" she asked quietly, walking in stride with him. He inclined his head, very interesting in how she had acquired such an intense mask, but knew that now was not the time to talk about such things.

He stopped a few blocks away at another shop and held the door open for her. She stepped inside and decided she liked this shop much better than the previous one. It was still extremely dark and slightly depressing, but the lamps shining light about the room left it with a warm glow. The furniture looked comfortable gathered in front of the roaring fireplace, and the counter was clean and tidy. They stepped up and waited for an associate to appear.

When a young blonde girl stepped up to the counter, her blinding smile was most shocking. "What can we do for you tonight, my dears?" she asked prettily. The girl could not be any more than twelve years old, however Hermione had never seen her before. She stared out at them with too-bright blue eyes, and for the slightest moment she was reminded of Luna Lovegood and the way she always seemed to see far more than anyone else, before the moment was gone and the little girl was just a little girl once more.

"Hello, we need to speak with someone about an identity problem," Hermione said quietly. The girl smiled sweetly and ushered them into a back room, setting them up in a little parlor with tea and cookies.

"Racifer will be in shortly," the blonde girl said, her voice never raised above a whisper, and then she disappeared out another door. In the long moments they were left to their own devices, Hermione's curiousity overcame her caution and she whispered excitedly, "Who was that girl? I've never seen her before."

Severus slowly turned toward her, looking around to make sure they were truly alone. "That little girl was no child. She is in fact very, very old. Extremely so. Some say, she is older than Merlin and the Founders. I'm not quite sure I believe them, but she does have a certain aura around her that would lend credence to the claim. I have known her for ten years, now, and she still has not aged a day. Even for witches and wizards, that is astounding. Some say she is a Seer, as well, and that is why she does not age, but is forever to remain as a child."

Hermione's eyes widened in shock, and then awe. They had just met someone older than the _Founders_! Ah, the knowledge that girl might hold within her mind, the things she knew.

She was ripped away from her thoughts as the door opened once more and a tall, well-dressed man walked in, taking the seat in front of them as he shuffled through a stack of parchment.

"Elise said you were here about an _identity problem_?" the man drawled darkly, his pale skin clashing terribly in the dark room. Hermione shivered at his oily voice, it seemed to seep into her head and coat her brain in its slime.

"Yes," Severus said, getting straight to the point, as it seemed Hermione was otherwise engaged trying to think straight. "My friend here needs a new identity that will stand up to everything, including Goblin methods."

The man stroked his chin, a Cheshire grin rippling across his face, and Hermione shivered once more. His eyes speared into her and she felt like she couldn't move. He studied her carefully, even seeming to ignore the cloak and hood as he looked her up and down. She tilted her chin up proudly, refusing to look away first.

That seemed to be the right response, as the man burst out into laughter, softly first but then it evolved into a full belly-laugh. Hermione wasn't sure if she should be insulted or not, but Severus had not given her any indication whether this was a good thing or not, so decided to wait to react.

"Oh, my friend, I like her. She has much spunk!" he cackled, and Hermione watched as Severus sagged slightly in relief. It seemed that the man liking her was a large part of them having a deal, here.

"Now," he said quietly once more, becoming serious. "What all do you need, my dear?"

Hermione ran through the list she and Severus had made together earlier that day, while Harry had been trying to look natural while he stared at them out of the corner of his eye. "I will need a birth certificate, stating I am a half-blood. I will also need school records, probably from Beaubatons or an American school, I don't mind. OWL and NEWT scores. A medical record, most likely. A diploma from the school of choice might be helpful, as well."

The man's brows rose as the list grew longer and longer. "My dear, you need _everything_!" he said, shocked.

Hermione's gaze filled with irritation for a quick moment before she reined it in. "Yes, I thought that would have been assumed seeing as I specifically stated I needed a new identity that would hold up against even Goblins." She flashed a frightening smile his way as she tilted her head to the side slightly. "My dear, that not a _problem_ , is it?"

The man stared at her wide-eyed for a long moment before he grinned once more. "If you have the means, my sweet girl, you can have as many documents as you like!" he said excitedly.

Hermione smiled and nodded. Severus would be paying for both her wand and these documents, but she had told him quite emphatically that she would pay him back once she got enough. She was from the future, so naturally she would know ways to make money quickly now. He would have his money back in no time, though it's not like he was hurting for it, either. As the sole Heir to the Princes, he had a vast fortune at his beck and call, not to mention the money he made as a professor, head of house, and private brewer.

"I just need a few bits of information, my dear. What will your new name be?" A quill and sheaf of parchment materialized in his hands and he held the quill at the ready, prepared for her statement.

"Morgana Ophelia Wilkins. Born September 1, 1973. I don't care what names you come up with for my parents, but it has to be something easily remembered and both must be Wilkinses. Remember, one of them must be magical."

Severus had to hold back his laughter at her name choice. She just went from one Shakespearean character to another, one that died tragically and horribly. They finished up their business with the man, and then left the shop, catching another glimpse of the little girl that was not a little girl, Elise, as she waved goodbye to them.

Once they were well on their way home, Severus finally stopped and let his laughter out. "You have terrible choice in names. I hope to Merlin you never have to name any children. Ophelia, really? That's almost as bad as Morgana."

Hermione pouted once more, removing her hood so Severus could get the full effect of her mood. "My parents named me after a Shakespearean character, and I wanted to honor that. I was not going to make my middle name 'Cleopatra' or, God-forbid, 'Hero'. That might have been a bit presumptuous. And don't worry, I promise not to die by drowning in a river."

He rolled his eyes and tugged her close to apparate them both back to the Manor. Hermoine sprinted up to the doorway and with an annoyed sigh, Severus followed after her.

"What are you doing?" he grumbled, once he caught up with her at the front door.

"I want to make sure Harry is alright. C'mon." She grabbed his hand and tugged him after her. He had decided a while ago that it was almost always easier to just follow her than to put up a fight.

They went upstairs and Hermione dropped his hand to creak the door open slightly enough to peek into the dark room. Harry was curled up on his bed in a tight ball, the covers falling off slightly. Before Severus could hold her back, Hermione had darted in to the room and was tugging the soft blanket up around his shoulders, staring down at him in something akin to awe as she stroked his shoulder lightly. Severus leaned against the doorframe, watching them in silence.

Slowly, Hermione's hand covered her mouth as she stared down at the young boy. She didn't know why she always got so emotional when she saw him so small and vulnerable. It seemed all she could see everytime she looked at his little face was the whole school roaring against him during the Basilisk attacks, the werewolf coming after them, the dangers he faced during the Tri-Wizard Tournament, dealing with Umbridge and her blood quill, learning who to trust and who not to even if they were wrong, so wrong, and finally the trials they had gone through while searching for horcruxes. She saw all this pain and wondered how this little boy could possibly deal with all of that successfully, and then she wondered if he had them, both her and Severus, that maybe things might be different this time. They could save him, couldn't they? They had to. She would not let this child suffer like her friend, the Harry she had left behind in her own universe.

When she felt arms wrap around her, she had to fight the urge to lash out and defend herself, until she realized that it was just Severus trying to offer her some comfort. She melted slowly back into his embrace and let her emotions seep out of her. They would keep him safe, no matter what they had to do.

"Everything will be fine. You'll see. In the end, everything will be fine," he whispered over and over into her ear, holding her tightly until she nodded weakly in response.

"Thank you, Severus. We should probably go before he wakes up and sees us standing over him. It might be a bit hard to explain," she whispered with a small smile, tugging him back out the room. She closed the door and stopped him before he could move on. "Thank you for everything, Severus. Really. I know none of this would work without your help."

Severus shifted uncomfortably for a moment, looking away from her, before he nodded curtly and stepped back. "I shall see you in the morning, then. Goodnight, Miss Morgana _Ophelia_ Wilkes," he said with a cheeky smirk, taking long strides backwards to get out of her range in record time.

"Severus!" she whined after him, stomping her foot as the man wandered away. "You're going to make fun of me for that forever, aren't you?" Her only answer was a deep chuckle from a few rooms away as Severus fled from her to his own room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Alright, I'm just so excited about Elise. I didn't even plan her, she just kind of happened, but now that I have her, I absolutely love her, even if she only got about ten lines mentioning her. We won't see her for a while yet but I'm really excited to write her. You'll never guess who she's going to be! And if you do, I'll be shocked because the only clue there is that she's older than the Founders! Ah, I love storytelling!


	9. A Visit to the Bank

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (the obligatory shopping chapter)

When Harry woke the next morning, he almost fell into a panic as he looked around at the unfamiliar room, bunching his hands up in the blanket before he caught the strong scent of sandalwood and vanilla and gradually relaxed, memory filtering back in.

He stood from the bed and began examining the room, marveling at the enormous size of it. It had to be at least three times bigger than his room at the Dursely's house! There were bookshelves standing empty, waiting for his things to fill them up. There were a few comfy chairs set around the room, and a window with a fantastic view of the grounds. The sun filtered in through the curtains, making his pale face shine as he gazed outside.

The smell of vanilla hit him once again and he peaked over his shoulder, a look of happiness and childish glee filling his face as he saw Morgana enter the room.

"Hello, Harry! Did you sleep well?" she asked gently, a smile curling her lips up.

"Yes, ma'am!" he chirped happily. A moment later he was biting his lip, looking up at the woman curiously. "What are we doing today?" he asked excitedly, practically bouncing in front of her.

Her laugh was musical and oddly familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had heard it before...

Breaking him from his thoughts, she wrapped an arm around his shoulders and led him out of the room and down to the kitchen. "We've actually got a plan to go to Diagon Alley today. We need to stop at the bank and see if we can get your guardianship changed, as well as pick up some things for you."

Harry seemed shocked. "For me? Like what?"

"Let's see. You'll need some things to keep you busy this summer, like books and toys and such. Maybe some clothes and decorations for your room, as well. We want you to be comfortable here, Harry."

They entered the kitchen as she said this, and Harry saw Snape at the table, flipping through the Daily Prophet with a frightening smirk on his face. He had heard Hermione's statement, and had raised an eyebrow at her, but remained silent.

Harry sat at the table, and one of the house elves brought him a plate of breakfast. "Thank you!" he said happily to the little elf, and it smiled wide before disappearing with a pop.

Severus and Hermione had already eaten so Hermione kept up a constant stream of conversation until Harry was finished eating. "Why don't you go get ready to head out, Harry? Meet us back down here in a few minutes."

Harry nodded enthusiastically, bolting up the stairs before Severus could say a word.

"So, we're headed to the bank. Why don't you go pick up your _things_ while we're nearby?" Severus said as he set the paper aside and stared across the table at her. After last night, he had a newfound respect and wonder about this woman. Just how had she gone from being the little miss know-it-all to this frightening, imposing woman before him?

"That's what I was thinking. Are you sure you'll be alright with Harry alone?" Severus rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair casually.

"Of course I can mind the brat without your glorious presence nearby. We'll just be going to the bank; it's not that tedious."

Just then, Harry scampered into the room and stopped beside Hermione's chair, a wide smile on his face. "Are we ready to go now, ma'am? Sir?" he asked hesitantly, bunching his hands up in the bottom of his baggy t-shirt. Snape looked over the boy's attire with a thinly veiled sneer, before deciding for himself that the bank would not be the only place they would be stopping today. The boy was obviously in dire need of suitable clothing.

Severus summoned one of his older cloaks and quickly shrunk it, before turning back towards Harry, who was staring at him wide eyed. "Come here, child," he demanded, and Harry slowly stepped forward, wondering just what the man was doing. When he simply clasped the cloak around his shoulders, Harry relaxed and smiled shyly up at Severus.

"Thank you, sir." Severus nodded and rose in one quick, fluid movement before reaching down to guide him towards the door, Hermione quick on his heels.

Once they reached the end of the wards, Severus reached over and folded Hermione into his arms, squishing Harry between them as he apparated all three of them to Diagon Alley. Hermione pulled away once she was sure they had all arrived safely, and then turned toward Harry.

"Now, you and Severus are going to head in to the bank. I need to go pick up a few things while we're here, so you be good for your professor, alright?" Hermione said sternly.

"Of course, Miss Wilkes!" Harry said, nodding enthusiastically, though he did give Severus quite the side eye.

"Alright. I'll meet you in front of Madame Malkin's in an hour?" Severus nodded and started off towards the bank, Harry scampering off after him, turning slightly to wave back at her. Hermione waved to him and laughed when Harry nearly tripped, only to be caught by Severus's quick hands. Severus didn't let him off so easily though, and wrapped his arm around the child's shoulders instead, forcing his gaze to remain forward.

With a kind smile on her face, Hermione made her way towards the entrance to Knockturn Alley, marveling at how the alley could still look so dark and dreary on such a bright, sunny day. She tugged her hood up over her head and took a deep, fortifying breath, replacing her mask, before she stepped foot over the barrier. She made her way to the same shop they had visited the night before, finding it empty once more, but the constant sound of some sort of banging coming from the back told her someone was there.

"Hello!" she called coldly, as if she would not be kept waiting. She had never had to use this mask much before, but she had originally based it off of Narcissa Malfoy's cold countenance, from the few times she had seen the woman.

There was a soft curse, and then a bit more banging as something fell in the back of the store, and then the man from the night before came stumbling out, holding a wooden box in one hand and a gnarled wand in his other. There was an irritated snarl on his face until he realized just who was standing in front of him.

"Oh, dear me," he muttered unhappily, shaking slightly as he took in the hooded figure. "I'm nearly finished, just one more thing, I promise. Two minutes, two minutes!" he promised, before scrambling back to the rear of the shop once more. Hermione rolled her eyes but just thanked Merlin that the man didn't seem drunk any longer; whatever he had been drinking the night before must have left his system by now. Hopefully her new wand hadn't suffered for his inebriated state.

When he returned two minutes later, she held out her small, dainty hand and he gladly placed the piece of wood in her hand, practically shaking in anticipation. She waved it once, feeling her magic flow through it wonderfully, and turned the bottle of Ogden's Finest that sat on his counter into a pile of ash.

"It is... _satisfactory_ ," she hissed, watching in fascination as the man cringed away from her. Really, the man had just made her a fantastic wand in less than twelve hours, she wasn't going to _do_ anything to him. Nothing permanent, at least.

To hurry this exchange forward, she set the bag of galleons on his counter and turned to leave. "There is your payment. Thank you for your... exemplary service," she said with a slight sneer, turning on her heel and quickly exiting the shop. Not fast enough to miss the exhausted, relieved sigh of the man behind the counter.

She giggled quietly to herself, before reapplying her mask and heading towards her second destination. She didn't expect the papers to be finished yet, but she would still like to check in. Perhaps she would even get to have another chat with the strange little girl, Elise.

 

Harry was practically vibrating beneath Severus's hands. Severus didn't understand what had him so excited; it wasn't like much would change. They would attempt to get the guardianship changed, then they would meet up with Hermione and get the child some necessities.

After they walked through the doors, they entered a line for a teller patiently. When they finally reached the front, they were quickly ushered into an office the moment the name, "Potter," left Severus's lips. He was slightly confused about this, but decided that as long as the goblins didn't cause any problems, it would be alright.

An older goblin entered shortly after, sifting through a thick folder as he settled behind his desk. "Mr. Potter? Mr. Snape?" he asked roughly. They nodded and the goblin frowned, staring down at the records in his hands before looking back up at Harry shrewdly. "Mr. Potter, have you heard your parents' will?"

Harry looked shocked. "No, sir. They had a will?"

The goblin growled low in his throat, before taking one of the documents out from the folder and laying it carefully on the desk. "The first time you came into the bank, you should have been made aware of this document. Would you like to see it, now?"

Harry looked wide-eyed between Snape and the goblin, before nodding grimly. The goblin broke the seal and handed the document to Harry. The boy stared at it for a long moment before scooting closer to Snape so he could see it, as well.

"Sir, do you see this?" he asked meekly, pointing at one line in particular. Severus took a deep, strengthening breath, before he leaned back and read the line that Harry was pointing at.

" _In the case of our deaths, we appoint these people, in this order of succession, as guardians to our son, Harry James Potter:_

_Sirius Black_

_Frank and Alice Longbottom_

_Severus Snape_

_Andromeda Tonks_ "

It took a moment for Severus to realize what exactly he had just read. Then he grew angry. Why weren't any of them notified right away that there was a will to be read? He had always assumed that they had died before they could file one with the bank. He turned furious eyes on the goblin, who seemed to have anticipated his thoughts, because he held up his hands in understanding, and pointed at the envelope the will had been stuffed in.

"This will was filed with the bank months before the Potters' deaths. Shortly afterwards, it was sealed by the Supreme Mugwump, Albus Dumbledore. It was only to be opened by Harry Potter when he turned eleven and came asking about it."

Severus thought that was quite convenient for Dumbledore, being able to place the boy with whoever he had wanted. And he had never told anyone about the will, not even Harry, himself.

"Who's Sirius Black? And are Frank and Alice Neville's parents?" Harry asked quietly, a frown of confusion on his face.

Severus took a deep, steadying breath, before answering as calmly as he could. "Sirius Black was arrested the night your parents died for betraying them to the Dark Lord. He is also your godfather. Frank and Alice are Neville Longbottom's parents, but they were attacked during the first war, and have never been the same since. They reside at St. Mungo's, now. It would seem that, had things gone the way they were supposed to, you would have grown up as my charge."

Harry's eyes widened comically, and he stared down at the will in awe. "Well, this is a good thing, right? We came here to get my guardianship changed. Now it's already legal. Right?" he asked the goblin, wondering how hard it would be to finalize this.

The goblin nodded, producing yet another piece of paper for Severus. "You must simply sign this paper, stating that you take full responsibility for the child, and the guardianship will be automatically updated."

Severus read the paper over carefully, and once he was sure it was what the goblin said it was, he signed his name with a quick, efficient flourish. Both Harry and Severus felt the magic of the bond settle over them as the paper was tucked back into the goblin's folder.

"Was there anything else you needed to take care of today?" the goblin asked. Severus stared down at the will in Harry's hands and motioned towards it.

"We would like the specifications stated in the will to be carried out. Everyone has waited long enough to hear what the Potters had to say to them. It will bring closure," he stated resolutely, before turning once more to stare down at the boy that should have grown up with him at his side. What had the child been through at the hands of his aunt and uncle, when he should have been with Severus?

And in that moment, he hated Albus Dumbledore more than he ever had before.

"Come, child. We need to meet Morgana at Malkin's. Thank you for your assisstance," Severus said quietly, nodding toward the goblin as he stood. The goblin returned the farewell, and the two dark haired wizards left the bank in stunned silence.

 

As her two wizards were holed up in the bank, Hermione was wandering into the shop where she had met Elise and Racifer the night before. Once again, she found Elise sitting at the front desk, a large leather bound book open in front of her. The picture the girl made was just adorable, as she flipped through the pages with sad little sighs.

"Hello, Elise," Hermione said calmly, her fondness bleeding through as she stepped up to the counter and leaned against it comfortably.

Elise flicked her gaze upwards for a split second, before returning her attention to the book. "Your papers aren't finished yet, my dear. For the thoroughness you requested, it will take at least a week."

Hermione nodded, smiling calmly as she tried to see what the girl was reading. "I understand. I just thought I would pop by while I was in town, and check in." She craned her neck to try and see the title once more. "What are you reading, Elise?"

She flipped another page, about halfway through the book, and sighed once more, fondly holding the page in her small, delicate hand. "Just reminiscing about some old friends," she said sadly. Hermione could relate to that. Her heart still ached for the friends she had left behind.

Hermione took the moment to study the little girl. She was perhaps a bit older than she originally thought, maybe thirteen or fourteen. She was short and petite, with glowing white skin, wavy blonde hair, and too-bright blue eyes. Usually children that age held themselves awkwardly, not quite comfortable in their own skins just yet. But this girl, she sat with an ease and comfort that showed she was comfortable with herself and her proportions, adding credence to Severus's statement that she had been in this form for many, many years.

"My dear, it's impolite to stare," she said without raising her eyes from the book.

"Apologies, Elise. I'm simply... curious, I suppose. I've heard some rumors about you."

Suddenly, the temperature in the room dropped incredibly. Elise raised her eyes and met Hermione's gaze, but there was nothing warm and comforting about her eyes now; they were nothing but penetrating crystal.

"Child, you should be careful what you say around here. Things meant innocently can be misconstrued as something... _threatening_. I've grown rather fond of you in the small amount of time I've known you, I would hate it if something happened to you. Speak of it no more," she demanded, and just as quickly as the temperature drop came, the warmth spread back through the room. Hermione didn't think her eyes would ever relax again, and she took a shaky step back away from the counter.

"Your papers will be finished next Monday. Do not come back before then." Elise's eyes were soft and sorrowful as she stared down at her book blankly. Hermione bowed her head and quickly scurried towards the exit. The only thing that made her pause was, when she was a step away from the door, the book Elise had been flipping through slipped ever so slightly, just slightly enough that the title was visible.

In golden gilded lettering, the words, _The Holy Bible_ , blazed back at her.

 

"Ah, there she is," Severus muttered as he saw Hermione practically running through the crowd towards Madame Malkins' storefront. He was entirely prepared to berate her for being so late until he saw her face. She was three shades too pale and her eyes were wide and terror stricken.

"Morgana, what happened?" he asked, once she was at his side. She took a deep breath and grabbed his hand, as if to ground herself. Her eyes fluttered closed as she tried to control her reaction before people started asking questions. Slowly, another, smaller hand wormed its way into her other hand, and it was his touch that seemed to calm her racing heart and harrowed nerves.

"Miss Wilkes? Are you okay?" Harry asked, the worry obvious in his voice as he squeezed her hand. When she opened her eyes and looked down, she saw that worry echoed in his warm green eyes.

"I'm fine, Harry. Sorry, I just ran into someone who gave me a fright, is all." That seemed to appease Harry, but Severus was staring at her as if by simply watching her, he could tell what had happened. Over Harry's oblivious head, she mouthed, _Later_ , and he nodded, though his shrewd, demanding look promised that he would not forget.

"Come along, let's get you some proper clothes, and then we can head to Muggle London. Won't that be fun!" Hermione enthused, watching Harry's eyes light up like Christmas lights.

They entered the shop and Hermione handed out orders for Harry to pick out so many outfits, as well as anything else he would like. Harry's gaze had flicked to Severus for a long moment, and when the man nodded calmly at the boy, Harry had grinned and run back to the racks of clothing behind him, flipping through them with a childish glee.

Though it was odd, Hermione didn't question it as she moved towards the undergarments. If she knew boys as well as she thought, Harry would not even think about boxers or undershirts. Severus glided at her side, seeming a million miles away. As she debated between two sets of boxers, she asked calmly, "So, how did it go at the bank?"

Severus's gaze returned to her once more, zeroing in on her face, though she didn't look up to meet his gaze. "Did you know?" he asked in a rush, the rage in his voice hard to hide, and Hermione's brows rose as she whipped her head back around to face him.

"Did I know what?" she asked in confusion. Sure, she knew a lot of things, but which thing Severus was asking about right now was a mystery to her.

"Did you know what the Potters' will said?" Hermione looked confused once more.

"You got to see their will? No, in my timeline, Harry has never seen their will. The goblins either never told him about it, or he never wanted to see it. Why, what did it say?"

His face was painful to look at. His emotions were practically screaming at her, and she was taken back by what she read there. Grief, sadness, pain, but also surprise, joy, and fear. "They put me in his list of potential guardians, should they die. Sirius Black is in prison," he spat, the fury on his face something only years of bitterness and anger could produce. "The Longbottoms are impaired," Stuck in St. Mungo's, he meant, but he was concientious enough not to blurt that out in public. "And I was the third choice. I was supposed to have him all these years. They trusted me enough to take care of their child should they die, and I wasn't even given the choice. The goblin that helped us said that the will had been sealed by Dumbledore after the Potters died."

Hermione was shocked; sure, she knew that Dumbledore had been manipulating people for years, pulling strings here and there, but she had never thought he would have done something like this. Deprive Severus of something that might have made him happy and reduce his grief over the loss of his childhood friend, and Harry of a father that would have loved and cared for him correctly.

"Oh, Severus," she said sadly, wrapping an arm around his body, hugging him tight as he gripped the arms of her shirt in a death grip. "It's wonderful that you have each other now. I didn't know about any of that, but it's just another reason we really can't trust Dumbledore." She rubbed his back softly, trying to keep him calm, but Harry popped up out of nowhere and ruined her efforts. Severus took one look at him and she could practically feel his heart lurch in his chest.

"Sir, are you alright?" he asked, that worried look making a comeback in his bright green eyes.

Severus had to take a deep breath, but nodded stiffly and nodded towards Hermione. "I was just informing Morgana about what happened at the bank."

Harry nodded, a small smile on his face as he gazed up at his professor. "Oh," he said eloquently, his eyes jumping from Hermione to Severus. Hermione was smiling sweetly and Severus looked like he had swallowed something sharp and sour. "Are you okay now, though?"

Severus snorted and nodded, shooing the boy back to his shopping. "Hurry up so we can get home," Severus demanded to the boy's back, though Harry only grinned cheekily back at him before diving back into the racks. He already had a substantial pile growing on the counter, and he was still adding to it.

"Fatherhood suits you well," Hermione said with a giggle, swatting his shoulder to get the subsequent scowl off of his face. He grumbled and finally took the decision about Harry's undergarments away from her, plucking a few packs up and heading towards the till.

"Harry!" he called, and the boy's head poked up towards the middle of the shop. Severus waved him over, and the boy jogged over with a blinding grin on his face, and it didn't take long for Hermione to realize why. It was the first time Severus had voluntarily called him 'Harry'. Warmth blossomed in her own chest as she saw Severus rest a hand on Harry's head as he handed the cashier his account number.

With one flick of his wand, Severus had shrunk the packages and stowed them away, before transfiguring all of their garments into something more Muggle-friendly. Without another word, they wandered back through The Leaky Cauldron and out on to the Muggle street. It didn't take long for them to find a store that sold everything that teenage boys might need.

Severus set the boy free, telling him to pick out a few things he might like, and to meet them back at the front when he was finished. Harry disappeared in a flash, and Severus rolled his eyes, taking Hermione to the small cafe set up in the front of the store.

As their orders came back, Hermione sipped at her weak tea and Severus chugged his black coffee. Finally, Severus broached the subject he had been wondering about all afternoon. "How's the stick work, by the way?" he asked nonchalantly.

She patted her sleeve and nodded. "It's satisfactory. Very good, actually, for being a rush order," she said with a cheeky grin that rivaled Harry's own.

"And after that? What had you so ashen-faced on your way back from Knockturn?" he pressed, knowing he wouldn't get an answer if he didn't keep asking.

She frowned, scanning the crowd for Harry. Once she saw him, large smile and all, playing with some of the little knick knacks on a shelf, she turned her gaze back on Severus.

"I went back to that shop, about my papers. Elise was there and I had a conversation with her. She frightened me, a bit, I must admit. It was my fault though; I probably shouldn't have mentioned that I had heard rumors about her. She did tell me that she was fond of me, though, so that's something."

Her face was paling again, and Severus didn't even hesitate to reach across the table and take her hand in his own. These little touches, hand holding, comforting gestures seemed to be coming easier and easier to him as time passed.

She was grateful for his attempt at comfort, and they slowly settled back in their seats, now side by side as Hermione scooted closer to Severus, and they watched Harry flit from one display to the next, eyes wide and smile huge. He had a small pile of handheld games and little figurines. When it seemed that he might drop them, Hermione stood and grabbed a little shopping basket and went to Harry's side, helping him browse throughout the store.

When they were finished, Harry had enough books, clothes, toys, and movies to last him the summer, at least. The grin on his face as he shyly took a hand from each of them in his own made them smile, as well. Once they were well hidden in an alley, Severus tugged them close and apparated them all home.

And wasn't that a strange thought, he mused, as he watched Harry scamper up to the door and disappear inside, as Hermione chattered away at his side and they both walked up the drive. He could get used to this. Yes, he could get very used to this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you see the clue about who Elise is? Any guesses?


	10. The Death of Hermione Granger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I don't know if I need to put a warning up, but this chapter has a sort of allusion to sexual coersion/blackmail/rape, I'm not really sure how to categorize it. And it just sort of happened, it wasn't even planned, but it fit into the chapter nicely. Nothing explicit or anything happens!
> 
> On a separate note, I wrote this chapter really fast because I know there are people waiting on it, so be prepared for some minor spelling mistakes. Sorry, I just really wanted to get it up! Also, someone guessed who Elise is! Congrats, but I'm not going to say who it was!
> 
> Alright, enough from me, enjoy!

Hermione was correct; fatherhood suited Severus just as well as potion making. She surmised that it had to be all those years he had spent as Slytherin's Head of House. He scoffed at her and said that it wasn't anything difficult, and he had no idea why others had such a hard time with it.

As the week progressed, Severus seemed to remember that he was in fact a Professor and enforced a mandatory study time for Harry, where he had to work on his summer assignments. His argument had been that no ward of his would turn in sub-par homework when he had a very intelligent woman as well as one of his own Professors within shouting distance for three whole months.

Harry had bregrudgingly agreed, but found some of the material confusing, and often came to one of the adults for assisstance.

"Morgana, do you know anything about the goblin wars?" Harry asked, already dreading this assignment. He was half tempted to write gibberish for his History of Magic essay, just to see if Binns actually read them all or not.

"Of course I do. Do you have your book? It will make the assignment much easier," she hinted, knudging him gently back to his room to retrieve his thick History book.

"Now, this specific Goblin war...," she started, and Harry found that he liked her form of teaching much better than Binns'. She didn't drone on and on for what felt like hours; she took what she knew and gave him precise, efficient descriptions that didn't leave him yearning for his bed.

Likewise, his Potions homework was involved and confusing, and he braved his guardian's possible ire by asking him about it. He was pleasantly surprised to find the man nothing like he had been in class. He answered Harry's questions calmly, showed him examples, pointed out books he might use, and even took him down to his lab to give him a quick demonstration.

Severus was surprised to find that when there were no distractions or classmates chucking ingredients around the room, Harry was actually quite competent at brewing, and allowed the boy to assist him with the potions he had to make for the upcoming year, stocking up the infirmary.

It had been a week of this content, domestic bliss, when Hermione got a firecall from Elise. She was shocked to see the young girl's face in the flames of the sitting room's fireplace, and rushed to answer the call, hoping Severus would keep Harry busy for a while longer.

"Elise! It's wonderful to see you," she exclaimed. She couldn't help but check over her shoulder, paranoid that the boys would walk in at any moment.

"Hello, my dear. Your papers are finished, if you would like to pick them up. I understand you're caring for a child; would you like to come fetch them tonight?"

Hermione bit her lip, but nodded nonetheless. "Yes, please. The sooner I have them, the more grounded I'll feel. I'll come round tonight around ten, if that's alright?"

"Of course. I'll be in the foyer, waiting for you. See you tonight."

And then she was gone just as fast as she had arrived.

Hermione tried to brush the conversation off, but her excited nerves were evident as she joined Severus and Harry in the basement potions lab.

"And what has you in such a chipper mood?" Severus snapped, wiping his hands on a rag. He had sent Harry upstairs to wash up, so they were free to converse.

"Elise called while you were down here. My papers are finished. I will have an official identity now. She said I can pick them up tonight."

Severus eyed her shrewdly, frowning harshly. "You aren't going alone, are you? I don't know if I trust them. Especially if she frightened you last time."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself," Hermione returned, palming her wand with a smirk.

"Fine," he grumbled, before they treked back upstairs.

 

That night, Hermione left the manor at half past nine, apparating to the alley with her hood already in place. The walk to the shop was at once too short yet too long; she was excited to receive her papers yet nervous at the same time. She would have to embrace her new persona as herself, and give up the person she had become up until that point.

But, in times of war, sometimes you had to make drastic sacrifices. Burying her old name was just one of many she would gladly give if she could see Harry grow up healthy and happy, without half the challenges they had had to face in her school years.

True to her word, Elise was waiting in the foyer of the shop, prim and pristine and beautiful in her simplicity. She was smiling calmly at Hermione, but her face was almost too calm, too blank. It set Hermione's nerves on edge.

"Hello, my dear. Racifer has the papers in the same room you met in last. Just head right on in. He's expecting you."

Hermione thought she might have imagined the sorrowful look the girl sent her as she opened the door, but the eyes that lingered on her back were not imagined. Hermione paused in the doorway, half turning to meet the girl's eyes. They were blank once more, as if she had simply imagined the look.

A chill swept through Hermione's body then. She wasn't sure if it was the same sort of chill Elise had sent through her at their last meeting, or if it was just an instinctual reaction to the thinly veiled warning coming off of the small girl.

Either way, Hermione's wand was in her hand when she entered Racifer's domain. The man sat behind his monstrous desk, leaning back at ease as he watched her enter, amusement glittering in his eyes.

"My dear, welcome back. How have you been this week?" he asked, his eyes twinkling in a way that reminded Hermione strongly of Dumbledore, and there was that chill again, jaggering up her spine.

Something was not right.

"It was fine, thank you. How ever much I love small talk, I would rather get my papers and leave. I have other engagements tonight," she insisted, keeping her voice calm and aloof.

Racifer's cheek twitched, like he was trying to fight a smile. "Of course, of course." He produced a bundle of thick parchment from his desk and handed them over, watching for her reaction as she flicked through them.

"These seem to be all in order. Birth certificate, school records, even a banking history. My, you have been busy, my friend. I must thank you for the expedient work. It is most appreciated." She produced the bag of coins from her pocket and placed it on the desktop. "That should be more than enough to cover the charges. More, in fact, for the rush order."

She stood and smiled at the man, though he couldn't see it through the darkness her hood provided. "I thank you for your time, sir." As she turned to leave, she thought for a moment that all those warnings had actually made the meeting quite anticlimactic, until she felt a steel grip around her arm.

She stopped dead in her tracks, her breath frozen in her lungs. "Now, before you disappear into the crowds of Knockturn Alley, don't you think that it would be proper and courteous to show a man a face to put to the name, Morgana Ophelia Wilkes?"

Hermione felt herself stiffen. She had been in situations similar to this before, she hated to admit. Being a witch didn't seem to scare many men off around these parts, which was quite terrible for many men around these parts.

She knew exactly where this conversation was going, and she was not going there. She had more important things to do with her evening (like poking her eyes out with a rusty spoon, or chopping off her own fingers, or ballroom dancing with a ravenous bear) than deal with a perverted, chauvenistic wizard that had that certain vindictive glint in his eye.

However, it would be fun to put the fear of her into this man. His oily, over-confident personality grated at her nerves, and his blatant lascivious intentions struck her like a slap to the face.

She slowly reached up and removed her hood, showing the man a glimpse of her glamored face, her long black hair, her shimmering eyes, her pale as death face. And then she showed him her Death Eater grin, the one she knew for a fact scared people enough to cause them to lose control of their bodily functions.

He visibily paled when he saw her frightening beauty. Even if most of it was only magic, she had worked hard on this disguise, to be both intimidating and attractive in equal amounts.

Her wand was at his throat, and he was up against the wall in seconds. His eyes were wide and frightened, and she found herself revelling in the feeling that she could cause such fear in another. When he tried to speak, she shoved the wand harder into his throat, and grinned when she saw the fear in his eyes level up another notch or two.

"Now, I am a _lady_ , so I will refrain from fighting too _dirty_. However," she trailed off, stepping back far enough to get enough leverage to bring her knee up with sufficient force between his legs, and grinned as he choked out a pained gasp, "I am not too far above getting _physical_ to protect myself. Perhaps that will teach you not to proposition women in such a way in the future. You never know when they'll be something you weren't _expecting_."

With that, she let the man fall to a graceless heap on the floor before stepping over him, her cloak flicking him in the face as she passed. "Again, I thank you for your work on these papers. You have a good evening, Mr. Racifer," she said sweetly, before pulling her hood back up to cover her face.

She took even, measured steps out of the room, and found Elise standing at the counter still, frozen like a statue with a look of hopelessness and horror on her face.

"Elise, are you alright?" Hermione had to ask. It wasn't the girl's fault that her employer was such a creep, and the girl had tried to warn her. The poor child looked like she was enduring painful torture.

When she heard Hermione's calm voice, Elise seemed to snap out of her horror-filled trance. She snapped her attention up to Hermione, and a blinding smile filled her face. 

"You're just full of surprises; aren't you, my dear? Wonderful, just wonderful. I hope you gave him a few good shots." She sounded so wistful, like she would give anything to give the man a good beating, and that made Hermione highly uncomfortable. If Elise knew what Racifer did to his female clients, then did he ever try to do anything to _her_?

"Elise," Hermione started cautiously, reaching out to take the girl's hand. It was freezing cold, but Hermione ignored the wrongness of the feeling in order to get the girl's attention. "Are you safe here? He doesn't hurt you, does he?"

Elise laughed outright at that. "I would like to see him try," she spat viciously, and once she had calmed, she turned warm, smiling eyes towards Hermione. "I knew there was a reason I was fond of you," she trailed off softly. "Hmm, well. I suppose I should go kick Racifer while he's down. Lord knows, I don't get many chances. You did good tonight, my dear. Have a splendid night, and enjoy your new identity, Miss Wilkes."

With that, Elise hopped down from her stool and skipped into Racifer's office. Through the door, Hermione could hear the man moaning, and figured Elise would have some fun before he had enough strength to get up again.

Feeling loads calmer, Hermione left the shop, clutching the file of documents to her chest. She knew what she needed to do next, but she wasn't sure if she could do it by herself.

Squaring her shoulders, Hermione decided that if she could take down a preying wizard in his own shop, she could do this on her own. She apparated with a pop, and ended up in a clearing in the Forest of Dean. She recognized an area where they had pitched their tent at one point, and made for that clearing. Digging through her robes pockets, she pulled out a piece of paper, her name written carefully across the entirety.

 _Hermione Jean Granger_ stared back at her, the name that represented her past, and all that she had done before this point in time. Hermione was the young girl who had not fit in in Muggle society. Hermione was the girl who had had such high hopes for the wizarding world, only to find that it was just like the Muggle world. Hermione had been naive, blinded, and ultimately disillusioned.

And now she was dying.

Hermione dug a hole in the ground, the sounds of crickets chirping and owls hooting filling her ears as she did so. Names held power, she knew. And now she was going to bury hers, destroy it, so that like the phoenix, she could rise from the ashes of her past to begin her present and future.

She set the paper in the hole, and a quick spell from her wand had the paper going up in a ball of flame. She watched the fire flicker as it ate at the parchment, and slowly, letter by letter, her name disappeared until nothing was left. She covered the hole with the displaced dirt and sighed.

"There is no more Hermione Jean Granger, only Morgana Ophelia Wilkes."

She nodded to herself, determined to see all of this through. Standing, she took one last look at her small grave, and with a content smile, disapparated for home.

 


	11. Battle Blues

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pacing, what pacing?

Morgana poured over her notes, strewn all over the table. Her hair was lank and in dire need of a wash, her face pale and drawn, dark circles beneath her eyes. Severus wandered up behind her, peeking over her shoulder and sighing at what he found there. Page after page of everything she could remember about the horcruxes that they she and her friends had found or heard about in the future stared back at him. It seemed that Morgana was sorting through which they should go after first, and how they should go about getting to them.

"You need to take a break," Severus declared, making Morgana jump. She hadn't heard him come in, and she was far too sleep-deprived to have noticed anything but the notes in front of her. When it looked like she might argue, Severus stated blandly, "Harry is starting to worry over your absence. There are only so many excuses I can make for your disappearance."

Suddenly, she looked very guilty and he felt bad for bringing Harry into this argument, but if it would get her into a shower, some food down her throat, and into a bed for a few hours then it was worth it. Besides, the boy _had_ been asking after her constantly.

Morgana sighed, biting her lip as she looked down at her notes longingly. Finally, she rose and looped her arm through Severus's, toting him back into the kitchen with her. He rolled his eyes at her antics, but followed nonetheless.

As she puttered about in the kitchen searching for something to eat, Severus settled at the table. "Where _is_ Harry?" she asked, rummaging through a cupboard with a scowl on her face. "Also, do you actually know how to go grocery shopping? There's practically nothing in here. What have you two been surviving on the past few days?"

"Harry is in his room working on his Defense essay. The house elves have been bringing us food at mealtimes, I just assumed we had the kitchen stocked." He shrugged noncomittedly. "So, which artifact have you decided we should go after first?"

Morgana bit her lip. "The diary comes into play this year. Lucius Malfoy will slip it in with Ginny Weasley's purchases while they're school shopping. If we can pop up while they're distracted and sneak it away before Ginny notices it, maybe we can prevent the basilisk from getting out at all."

Severus felt a shiver run down his spine at the thought of a giant, deadly snake roaming free in a school full of children. He nodded along with her reasoning anyhow. "That's still two months away. Is there anything we can do in the meantime?"

Morgana settled on a can of peaches and practically ripped the tin apart before spearing the slices up with a fork. "Well, I suppose we could try and get the goblins on our side. There's got to be a way to get them to search the vaults for a horcrux if we hint that there's one down there. Surely they don't want one floating around any more than anyone else does."

Severus glared distastefully as she flung her fork about while she spoke, but conceded to her plan. It was a good start, he supposed. There wasn't really any precident to draw from for ideas in this situation.

Before Severus could open his mouth to continue their conversation, Harry bounded into the room. He eyed Severus warily, bypassing him to make his way to Morgana's side. He handed her his DADA essay with an uneasy smile and waited while she flipped through it one handed, the other still spearing up peach slices.

"This is very well-researched, Harry. I'm proud of you." And she truly meant it. She remembered the essay Harry had cobbled together on the train the night before term had begun the first time around, and this was a million times better. "I'll proofread it for you tonight, and you can rewrite it tomorrow, alright? How many essays do you have left?" 

"Only Herbology and the rest of my Potions essay. They shouldn't take too long to finish though." She ran her hand through Harry's messy hair affectionately, her smile making her look so much younger and so much less exhausted.

"That's very good, Harry. Once you're done with them, you can enjoy the rest of your vacation without having to worry about them. I'm sure Ron still hasn't cracked a book open yet!" she said with an easy laugh.

The confused look that overcame Harry's face made her stop cold. "You know who Ron is? How?" Harry was eyeing her suspiciously, his brows furrowed.

Morgana had to think fast on her feet, but was saved from answering by Severus's calm response. "Miss Wilkes wanted to know a bit more about you personally before we went to pick you up at the train station. I told her about your first year at Hogwarts, including who your friends are, and what they are like."

"Oh," Harry said easily, his happy smile calming the creases his confusion had brought to his face. "You wanted to know about me?" And he sounded so hopeful, so surprised, that Morgana couldn't help but bring him in close to her in a crushing hug.

"Who wouldn't want to know you?" she said softly, smiling when he wrapped his own arms around Morgana's waist.

Severus let them have their little moment, but he couldn't watch it for too long. His eyes snapped away from the scene after a few agonizing seconds, his mind wandering into his own past. He had adored his own mother. As a child, he had believed she was the most perfect, lovely, wonderful person in the world, surpassing even Lily. He couldn't remember her ever being so easy with her touches as Morgana was.

When he looked back, Morgana had taken a seat at the table with her peaches and Harry was hovering at her side, staring at her with an odd look on his face, like he was trying to put together a puzzle but didn't have all the pieces.

He just hoped that when the boy _did_ figure out who Morgana had once been that the subsequent explosion did not destroy their relationship. Even he could see that they were quickly on their way to becoming as close as mother and child, and even though he hated to admit it, even to himself, he dreaded what the truth would do to them.

At the moment, though, Harry had moved on from his inspection and was bouncing from one side of the table to the other. The boy's nervous energy had been pooling for weeks now, and Severus was starting to worry for the state of his home if he didn't find something for the boy to do to burn it off.

And then he felt like an idiot. He craned his neck to look at the hall closet, where he definitely remembered stowing the boy's broom when they had first arrived. He was, quite frankly, _shocked_ that he had not been mobbed the second Harry had had a free moment to allow the boy use of his broom.

He glided over to the closet and, sure enough, there sat the boy's broom. Severus grabbed it up and went back into the kitchen, watching Harry's eyes grow wide when he saw his broom in his Professor's hand.

Without preamble, Severus shoved the broom into Harry's hands. "Go outside, and do not come back in until you are no longer bouncing off the walls." When Harry just kept staring at him in shock, Severus leaned down and got right in his face. "Do not wait for me to change my mind," he whispered, giving the boy fair warning that the offer might be taken back if he didn't hurry up and disappear.

Before Severus could even straighten back up, Harry's face lit up in a brilliant smile and he ran through the back door in a flurry. Severus sighed as he collapsed back into his chair, feeling drained. How the Weasleys had survived with all the children they had, he had no idea. He was exhausted dealing with just one.

Granted, he had not had custody of this child his whole life, and the boy was still frightened of him at times, and he didn't really have to do much for him seeing as Morgana took her self-imposed duties extremely seriously..., and he had lost his train of thought. He was _exhausted_. How Morgana wasn't a gibbering mess by now, he was uncertain. She hadn't slept in two days, while he had had a full night's sleep.

And then there was a muffled shout coming from up the stairs, and it was very clearly _not_ Harry. Morgana and Severus exchanged wide-eyed looks of disbelief before scrambling from their seats, bounding up the stairs until they found that the shouting was coming from Morgana's room.

She grumbled to herself as she realized what was causing all the noise. She threw her door open with an annoyed scowl on her face as she faced the portrait taking up the center of one wall. "Phineus!" she screeched, rubbing her temples in aggravation.

"Don't you screech at me, witch. I needed you up here, and you weren't, so _there_." He crossed his arms in the portrait, glaring down at her over his nose.

She rolled her eyes, staring up at the ceiling, most likely wondering why she had kept the portrait at all. "What do you need, Phineus?" she gritted out.

The old Headmaster's shoulder slumped slightly at that, his eyes jumping from Morgana to Severus at her side. "The battle has come to Hogwarts," he said quietly, his face full of sorrow as the other two realized what he meant. Morgana ran a hand over her face, taking to pacing the floor in front of the portrait.

"Headmaster Snape doesn't have much longer. Soon, he will have to go and speak with Lord Voldemort. He does not believe he will survive the encounter. Neither do I, to be honest. He's already placed some memories for Harry Potter to find in his pensieve, so he might understand why the Headmaster did what he did." 

Severus growled at that; even now, the thought of sharing something as personal as his _memories_ made him bristle. Surely the boy was growing on him, but the man from Morgana's future had not had the same experiences, the same _realizations_ with that Harry.

Morgana's face blanched, even as her blood pounded in her ears. "He's going to die, isn't he?" she whispered, and Phineus nodded slowly, looking sticken himself. Severus just stood in shock, listening to the reactions to his future death.

"What can I do to help?" she asked softly, looking to Phineus for answers. The old Headmaster faltered, before darting from the portrait. Morgana stared at it, reaching out with a grasping hand to hold on to Severus's. His hand was limp in hers, his face slack, fixed in a sort of disbelieving horror.

When Phineus returned to his portrait with a pale face, he left a foot out of the frame, and right away the sounds of another person could be heard. There was the tell-tale sound of pacing, cursing, and sighing.

"Professor Snape?" Morgana whispered shakily, and the sounds halted. Phineus rolled his eyes and stuck his head back through to his other portrait. When he returned, there was an oddly satisfied look in his eyes. Moments later, the professor's voice echoed through the room, making Severus jump.

"Miss Granger," the silky voice addressed her cordially, far more cordially than he ever had before. She felt a sad smile spread across her face, squeezing Severus's hand in her own. "I suppose you're here to tell me of some brilliant plan you have to get me out of this?" He sounded almost hopeful, even though she could tell he was sneering as he spoke.

"I'm afraid I'm all out of plans," she admitted sadly. "I'm not even quite sure what's going on. I've been in this dimension, this timeline for almost a month now. I have no clue what Harry and Ron have gotten up to in that time. Hopefully, they've at least destroyed the other horcruxes."

A breathy chuckle floated over the connection, and Morgana felt more than saw Severus shudder at the sound. "So in my final hour, you have no advice, no empty platitudes, no pity. Just why are you here?" he snarled.

"Because she wanted to help!" Severus spit right back, his face heating slightly as he realized that he was arguing with himself about a woman that was standing right next to him.

There was a long, uncomfortable silence, before Professor Snape said coldly and far too calmly, "Who is there with you?"

"Severus Snape. Dumbledore assigned him to me when I barged into the Headmaster's office looking for clues on my first night. I went to talk to Dumbledore's portrait and found the man alive and kicking! You can imagine my surprise."

More silence, and then Professor Snape said quietly, "You cannot trust the Headmaster, not entirely. He wants to win the war, and he will do whatever it takes to finish it."

Morgana's smirk was all teeth. "Yes, I realized that myself. I don't think we're on speaking terms, right now. Severus has been assigned to keep an eye on me and report back to the Headmaster. He's _not_ , of course, but what the Headmaster doesn't _know_...," she trailed off, giving Severus a grim smile. He stared back at her blankly, and she rolled her eyes. "Oh please, I am practically your shadow. And if I'm not there, Harry is. You wouldn't have _time_ to go and tell on me to the Headmaster." Severus just scowled, and there was a pointed cough from the Headmaster on the other side of the portrait.

"However disturbing it is that the version of myself in that reality has given you permission to call him by his first name, not to mention that little tidbit about ' _Harry_ ', but there is a _battle_ going on outside these walls. And this is _not helping_ ," he hissed in aggravation.

Morgana felt her face soften. She felt sympathy, pity, towards the man that had sacrificed so much and gotten so little back in turn. Everyone in that reality believed him a traitor, an evil minion of Lord Voldemort, even though he was far from it.

"You are _strong_ ," Morgana began, throwing as much of her magic behind the words as she could muster. "You are _courageous_. The most _Gryffindor_ Slytherin I have ever met. You have been _right_ , you have been _wrong_ , but what you are about to do, what you _must_ do, will save millions. The whole world, because we all know that Voldemort won't stop with Britain. You have played your part well; oh, how you have played it. But now it is time to _rest_. Surely there are people you miss, that you wish to see again? Do what you must, and then go and see your people. I wish you well, Professor Snape."

The silence that reigned over the next few minutes was full of meaning, though Morgana was far too heartbroken to try and decipher any of it. Maybe later. Now was the time to be in solidarity with a man who was about to give his life for his cause, and knew it.

"Do not go calmly into that good night, Professor," she quoted quietly. She heard what she thought was a muffled sob, before she heard a door slam on the other side of the portrait, and then there was silence. Phineus eyed her sorrowfully, head bowed. Severus looked frightened, staring at Morgana with wide eyes.

"Can you keep us updated, Phineus?" she asked quietly, nearly whispering. The man nodded, and turned to reappear in his portrait. "It won't be much longer," she continued, squeezing Severus's hand.

From downstairs, they heard the back door slam closed, and they both winced. Neither of them were in the best moods to put on calm fronts, and Harry was very perceptive; he would realize something was wrong.

His feet were padding up the stairs, and Morgana collapsed on her bed, her face in her hands. Severus was hovering over her, not quite sure what to do. Ever since she had entered his life, he seemed to be in a constant state of uneasiness, constantly second guessing himself.

Harry knocked on her door and carefully peeked around the slightly ajar door. He saw their expressions and instantly bounded into the room, eyeing the strangely ornate empty picture frame on one wall.

"Morgana? Professor? Is everything alright?" His eyes widened and he bit his lip, fearing the worst. "Has Professor Dumbledore found out where I am? Do I have to go back to the Dursleys?"

That seemed to snap Morgana out of her funk. "Of course not, silly. We've been very careful, although it's going to get out eventually. No, we've just been given some... _very bad news_ , that we weren't really prepared for. That's all." She gathered him into her arms and held him close. He was still small enough that he fit against her comfortably while she sat, not too tall to fit beneath her chin yet.

Phineus returned, looking grim, and eyed Harry distrustfully. When Morgana simply glared in return, he sighed and reported, "The castle has fallen. The Headmaster is on the brink of death, and the boy is dead."

Morgana couldn't hold back the shriek of despair, clutching Harry close and refusing to let him go. He couldn't be dead. That was cheating, Voldemort was _cheating_ , there was no way they had gone through all that they had and still lost Harry.

Severus collapsed beside her on the bed, Harry sandwiched between them. Harry didn't have a clue what was happening, but he felt the sorrow around him and remained quiet.

Phineus watched them for a moment, before a hand appeared in the frame and yanked him back out. He disappeared with a yelp, and the three sharing the bed watched in confusion for minutes, before the former Headmaster returned, looking harried yet excited. 

"Scratch that, the boy's not dead. He was just faking it. He's battling the mad man as we speak. Hopefully, it'll be enough." He disappeared once more, and Morgana found herself bitting her nails in agitation. Harry leaned against her, a solid reminder that this Harry was fine, _would_ be fine as long as she had breath in her lungs.

"This is murdering my nerves," she grumbled under her breath, staring at the empty portrait, willing Phineus to return with good news. Though the Slytherin Headmaster was always prickly and annoying, he had taken an odd shine to Hermione while she had been stuck at Grimmauld Place, the reason she had taken him with them when they had left. She had never thanked God more _fervently_ for her good thinking before.

Severus just patted her on the shoulder absentmindedly, staring off into the distance. She couldn't blame him; he had just been told that his future self (alternate self?) had willingly martyred himself.

That would ruin anyone's day, surely.

Phineus didn't return for another half hour. Morgana jumped at the painted man once he returned, jolting Harry out of a doze and onto the floor. "Well?" she demanded.

"We won," he stated simply, a triumphant grin on his face. Morgana whooped for joy, jumping in the air and dancing around like a fool. Severus watched her with a detatched amusement, shaking his head at her antics.

"At what cost?" he asked softly, staring up at the portrait sadly. Everyone froze at that, and the three living humans turned to face the portrait. He eyed Harry once more, and Morgana agreed with him this time.

"Harry, I need you to go to your room until one of us comes for you. I should have sent you away when you first arrived. I'm sorry, I'm everywhere today. Please, honey?"

Harry frowned, looking mutinous for a long moment, before his shoulders sagged and he nodded, padding to the door and closing it behind him.

Morgana returned her attention to Phineus, and he sighed. "The Headmaster was rushed inside on a gurney, in critical condition. His neck was bleeding terribly. There were more permanent losses, though; George Weasley, Remus Lupin, Nyphadora Tonks. There were many others, but I haven't seen the Great Hall, yet. They've turned it into a field hospital."

Silence filled the room, and on the other side of the door, Harry bit his knuckles to keep himself quiet. What was going on?!


	12. A Recurring Theme: No One Knows What To Do

Morgana didn’t know what to do. They had won the war, but at what cost? She was practically vibrating with happiness that the Headmaster had survived, even if he was injured. The news about Remus and Tonks broke her heart; Tonks had just had Teddy, and Morgana wondered what would happen to him now. And then there was George. Oh, George. All the deaths were piling up and weighing her down. She felt sick to her stomach, and when she peeked over at Severus, he didn’t look much better.

His face was ashen but when he met her gaze, the tiniest smile broke through. “I survived.” The utter disbelief shone through her daze, and she beamed back at him.

“You survived,” she agreed, stepping forward to wrap her hand around his wrist. “And we won.” Even she could tell that the wan smile tugging at her lips was world-weary and tense.

Morgana stared at their joined hands and sighed. She felt incredibly old, worn down and exhausted, and she hadn’t even done much.

Tugging him toward the door, she closed her eyes, willing herself back to her happy, perky self before Harry could see her in this state. She didn’t have much time to do a very good job, though, because once she opened the door she found Harry standing there, eyes wide and full of tears.

“What happened to George?” was the first thing out of his mouth, tears pooling in his eyes as he tried to blink them away. His fists were bunched in his shirt, twisting the hem over and over again in agitation. “Miss Wilkes?”

“Oh, Harry. I told you to wait in your room,” she sighed, feeling completely drained and unprepared to explain the situation. Harry heard the disappointment in her tone and shivered, his eyes widening even further.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t Morgana that cobbled an answer together for him, but Severus. In one swift motion, he reached down and swept the boy up in his arms, marveling at the fact that he was still small enough to do that. Once they were eye to eye, Severus caught Harry’s gaze and held it tightly. Harry wasn’t sure what was happening, but found that he couldn’t tug his eyes away. When Severus was satisfied, he set Harry back on his feet but kept a heavy hand on the boy’s shoulder.

“You need to tell him what’s going on. He will only try to find out on his own if you don’t.” The way he said it reminded Morgana of all the potions classes she had sat through over the years; it was commanding and insistent, almost daring her to deviate from his words.

“I _can’t_. You know I can’t. He doesn’t have the protection. If I told him and anyone used legilimency on him, they would _know_. We can’t risk that.” Her eyes were wild and frightened; she _wanted_ to tell Harry, but she couldn’t _risk_ _it_.

"Then… then _teach_ me,” Harry pleaded, swiveling his gaze between Morgana and Severus. “Please, I want to know what’s going on. What happened to George?”

Morgana hesitated; she had no clue what to do, so she turned her desperate look to Severus. He shrugged, but his hand never left Harry’s shoulder, squeezing it tightly.

“Would you be willing…?” she asked timidly, trailing off as she met Severus’s eyes. She knew all about their lessons together during fifth year, and how antagonistic they had been toward each other as student and teacher. Maybe if they started at a younger age, with less history between them…? Severus let his gaze drop to the top of Harry’s head, studying the too fine hairs he found there, the too pale face that turned to look at him upside down, the too green eyes that stared into his own. He closed his eyes in resignation and nodded. He could never say no to those eyes.

“If he is willing to listen to me as my student, then I am willing to teach him.” He gave Harry a stern look, but it seemed to roll right off of the boy as he beamed up at his professor. The smile slowly faded away though.

“But, George? And I heard something about the Headmaster?” His worried face had returned, and Morgana sighed.

“They’re fine, I promise. What you heard, it wasn’t accurate. Once you learn how to shield your mind, I’ll tell you what you need to know. Until then, you’ll just have to trust my reassurances that they’re alive and well.”

Though Harry looked a bit disgruntled, he nodded all the same. Taking pity on the boy, Morgana stepped forward and wrapped her hand around Harry’s free shoulder. “I promise. Everyone’s alright. I won’t lie to you. Not about something this important.” Looking slightly more appeased, Harry ducked his head and nodded, a tiny smile on his face. Morgana took that as a success and sighed, tightening her hold ever so slightly.

 

Dumbledore wasn’t quite sure what to do with this new wrench thrown into his plans. He wasn’t proud to admit that he did not have a contingency plan for this sort of thing; though, really, could he really have been expected to suspect this? He sat at his desk in his office, debating his options. The girl left him with very few, really. Severus still wasn’t answering his summons, and he had no clue what the girl had been up to in all this time.

With a sigh, he turned to Fawkes, who stared back at him with beady eyes that seemed to hold just a bit of recrimination in them. Dumbledore decided to ignore it and instead sent the phoenix off with a message for the other Order members. If they wouldn’t cooperate with him, he would have to take matters into his own hands.

 

The firewhiskey flew easily, that night. Harry had collapsed early in the evening, the adrenaline and excitement of the day leaving him exhausted. Truthfully, Morgana and Severus weren’t too far behind. They moved sluggishly when they deigned to move at all.

The sofa seemed to be their most beloved friend by the time the moon was high in the sky. The fire was crackling before them, their drinks sloshing in their cups, and Morgana was curled up next to Severus.

“We won,” she repeated to herself, still marveling at the fact that the war, at least where she came from, was finished, over with, _done_. All that death, all that sacrifice and fear and pain, and it was finally _done_. She almost couldn’t believe it, and she had only been fighting it for about six years. Her glassy eyes landed on Severus and she wondered how he was feeling; he had been fighting for much longer than her, had been a double agent, and had had to deal with Voldemort for so many years. And it wasn’t even all behind him; he still had to pretend in the here and now, because their war was not finished, not even close. Perhaps with her knowledge of the future, she could save him just a bit of suffering, save the others who would be hurt, would die.

It was a tall order, and she wasn’t quite sure she was up to fulfilling it. She was no hero. She had been called the brightest witch of her age, but what had that brightness ever gotten her? Ridicule and hatred, as well as distrust and disgust. It didn’t even help her in school, because the teachers and other students despised her and all the purebloods cared for was the muddiness of her blood.

Could she change any of that? Could she change anything at all? Yes, she had already started changing things, but they were small things; were they enough to tip the balance so early in the game?

She really hoped so.

Severus must have felt the weight of her gaze because he turned from staring at the fire to gaze back at her. The light from the fire flickered across his face and both highlighted and hid the emotions fighting for position there. He seemed relieved, yet dismayed; excited, yet frightened; content, yet exhausted.

“What are you thinking?” she asked, wishing desperately that she could see into his mind for just a moment. Maybe he would make more sense to her if she could.

“That the war is over, but not for us. That we lost people, but that we have also _not_ lost people. It’s all very confusing.” He reached up for his collar and popped the top buttons, reaching a hand in to rub at his throat, almost as if it pained him. He seemed confused by his own movements, but must have chalked it up to the liquor pulsing through his veins.

“Yes, it is very confusing. I’m relieved that they won. But that just means that we have to focus on our own problems, now. We have so much to do…,” she whispered, wincing as all of their problems filled her thoughts. Everything they needed to do, everything they needed to set into place, all the things she wasn’t quite sure what to do about. It was all too much.

“We will always have much to do.” He knocked back the rest of his drink in one go, then turned to her with bleary, unfocused eyes. His eyes studied her, starting with her glamoured black hair, her too pale skin, her rail thin body. He drew his eyes back to hers and pursed his lips. “We should retire. We have many things to do now, don’t we?”

Morgana was a bit shocked at his blatant once over, but blamed it on the alcohol. Besides, he _had_ just had to listen to himself preparing to die earlier in the day. That would kill anyone’s mood.

“I agree. Until tomorrow, Severus.” She smiled, and decided to use her slightly tipsy state to her advantage. Without stopping her forward momentum, she hopped up to her tiptoes and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, then kept going past his frozen form as if nothing had happened. When she reached the stairs, she heard something fall on the floor and Severus swearing up a storm, sounding flustered and shocked. She smirked to herself victoriously and continued on up to her room. If she couldn’t have a little fun sometimes, then what was the point?


	13. An Ally and A Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So someone pointed this out. In past chapters I mentioned that George died, and I SWEAR I googled it to make sure before I posted, but they said Fred was the one that died. Sorry!

The night before had been well worth the hangover Morgana had woken up with, she mused as she groaned in her bed. Every moment she spent with a pounding head reminded her that she had had a good time with Severus last night, even if he could sometimes be the wettest wet blanket she had ever met most of the time.

When she finally rolled out of bed, the first thing she did was grab a hangover potion and down it like a shot. She felt vaguely more human afterwards, dressing quickly so she could get downstairs before the others. She had a floo call to make, after all.

As she descended the stairs, she stretched languidly. It was really time to start putting together a battle plan of sorts. And the first thing she needed to do was find allies; she had started a list a few weeks earlier, but hadn’t found much time to speak with any of the possibilities, yet.

With a bit of floo powder in the fire, she waited for it to turn green before she kneeled down in front of it. When Elise’s face popped up in the fire, Morgana smiled sweetly back at her. “Hello, Elise. How are you today?”

The young girl traded a kind smile back, a knowing glint in her shining eyes. “I’m doing fine, my dear. Would you like to come by later today? I’m free in an hour if you’d like to talk.” Morgana sighed in relief. She just loved that she never had to come right out and tell Elise things; the girl always seemed to just know what she wanted to say.

“That sounds wonderful. I’ll drop by soon, then. Goodbye.”

Morgana had to admit that the fact that Elise was a woman of few words was a solid strike in her favor, as well.

With that task finished, she stood and made her way into the kitchen, where Severus had somehow materialized without walking past her. “Good morning,” she said, breezing past him towards the steaming cups of coffee on the counter.

He hummed in response, flipping through the paper at the table. “Dumbledore has been trying to summon me for the last few days. I don’t know how much longer I can ignore him before he comes barging in through the front gates.”

It was Morgana’s turn to hum. “Alright. I suppose we’ll have to feed him some sort of story, then. Give him just enough information to get him off your back for the time being, without letting him know we have Harry with us. I’m still shocked he never posted more than one squib to watch over him until he was older, and by that time it was really no use. He never went back much after that, anyway.”

Severus folded the paper up and set it back down on the table, folding his fingers beneath his chin as he thought. “I suppose we can make a plan of what to tell him later when you return from your little meeting with Elise.” She raised an unimpressed brow at him but he just rolled his eyes. “I walked right behind you without you even noticing. If you didn’t want anyone to hear, you should have used a silencing charm.”

She harrumphed, but she was still smiling. “Alright. I think you should start Harry’s lessons as soon as possible. I feel terrible not telling him everything, but it’s too dangerous right now. The sooner we can tell him everything, the sooner we can get him fully on our side.”

Severus just gave her a disbelieving look. “He’s a neglected eleven year old boy. He’s on whoever’s side that shows him a little bit of affection. I’m not saying that we should abuse that trust, but I am saying that we already have it.” Morgana had to admit that he had a point. When Sirius had entered the picture, Harry had latched on to him as the only adult that had given him continuous attention.

“Agreed. You and Harry should have your first lesson this morning, I think. Just, please don’t scream at him about not understanding how to do it right away; he’s still so young. Try explaining what occlumency is before you have him dive right in and try it.” The man just stared at her blankly, like she was speaking gibberish.

“I was really that stupid? Of course I’ll have to explain what it is first. Why would I throw him right in to practicing it if he doesn’t even know what the hell I’m asking him to do?” He sounded scandalized at the very thought, his inner teacher blanching at the idea.

“Yes,” Morgana admitted, wincing slightly at the memory. “You really were that stupid. I think you were more frustrated at the situation at the time, though. It was a very time-sensitive thing. He really needed to protect something he knew because the Dark Lord kept rooting around in his mind while he was sleeping.”

Severus nodded, looking a fair bit paler at the thought. “I’ll go and visit Elise while you two are working on that. I want to see if she’ll side with us. I’m hopeful, though; she seems very powerful and knowledgeable, and I think she likes me well enough. I want to snatch her up as our ally before Dumbledore catches her scent. I don’t remember her from before, but I’ve already changed so much of this timeline. He might see her use this time around.”

“I’d be careful, if I were you. You’ve already got Dumbledore suspicious by not answering him. He might have someone tailing you by now.”

“I’ll be fine, I promise. Besides, he doesn’t know what I look like, now. Not with the glamor in place.” She sighed heavily, drawing patterns on the table with her finger. “We have a full schedule today, then.”

They heard Harry stumbling down the stairs long before they saw him enter the kitchen, and it was mutually agreed that they would change the subject with the child in the room. Morgana felt her face soften at the picture Harry made, all messy hair and sleepy eyes. When she glanced at Severus, she was slightly surprised to see a similar look to her own on his face. He was actually looking _fondly_ at Harry. She never thought she would see the day!

“Harry. We are going to start our first occlumency lesson today. What do you think of that?” Harry head jerked up, his eyes lighting up excitedly.

“Really? Okay!” He nearly started vibrating in place; only Morgana’s slight hand on his shoulder had him diverting his attention from the Potions Master for any length of time.

“Go on and sit down. I’ll get you some breakfast, and then you can go and have your lesson.” Harry sat down immediately, a wide grin on his face. Morgana wasn’t sure she had ever seen him look so eager to learn before. Surely in all their years at school together he had never looked so excited, unless he was learning about quiddich or scheming to do something he really shouldn’t have done.

She set down a plate in front of Harry and watched in slightly horrified fascination as he tried very hard to inhale it all as fast as he could. When the plate was wiped clean and set in the sink for the house elf to take care of, he popped back up beside Morgana, staring at Severus with wide, hopeful eyes.

“Alright, give me a hug,” Morgana demanded, holding her arms out. She didn’t even need to explain why before Harry was hanging on to her waist. “I’m going to leave you two to your lesson and go see a friend for a little while. Will you be good for your professor?” she asked playfully, squeezing Harry’s body tight.

“Of course,” he scoffed, squeezing her right back. He tilted his head up to grin toothily at her, resting his chin on her stomach. Morgana looked down at him with an indulgent little grin before rubbing him on the back and transferring him over to Severus, instead. Harry shuffled with her and easily draped himself over Severus’s shoulders instead.

When she had first arrived here, she had never thought that these two would ever become so close. Certainly not close enough for Harry to practically hang off of Severus like a cloak without a single word from the man. In fact, he almost seemed to be enjoying it, reaching up to gently pat the boy’s hands absentmindedly.

“Goodbye, dear,” she said, placing a kiss on Harry’s cheek, before leaning forward and placing another on Severus’s cheek. When he whipped his head around to stare at her in surprise, she grinned wide and waved, sashaying out of the room.

As she was readying her floo powder, she couldn’t help but overhear Harry’s loud, childish whisper. Is she you girlfriend, or what?”

She _almost_ couldn’t hold in the laughter that was bubbling up in her chest. _Of course_ Harry would just come right out and ask that. She was really very curious about how Severus would respond to that, but she had other things to deal with now.

With a toss of powder and a clearly spoken destination, she stepped into the fire and twisted through the grate until she arrived at the Leaky Cauldron. She didn’t garner one single look from anyone in the tavern, and she used that to her advantage as she stealthily slipped out of the bar and onto the street. She glanced around, taking Severus’s advice about a tail to heart, making sure no one was following her before slipping her hood on and making her way further into the district. Before long, she was standing at the mouth of Knockturn Alley.

Elise’s storefront was a comforting sight in the dingy alley. She entered calmly, the bell overhead ringing out softly as she lowered her hood. Elise was standing in her usual spot at the front counter, a serene smile on her face as she flicked through a few pages of loose parchment.

“Hello, Morgana. What were you thinking of asking me about today?”

Like she had thought before, Elise just came right out and said things. It was wonderfully refreshing.

“I was wondering if I could pick your brain about my situation.” She looked down at her boots warily, biting her lip in agitation. “I’d like us to be friends, you know. Or at the very least, allies.”

Elise smiled knowingly, nodding along as Morgana spoke. “I was wondering when you would ask. Right this way, then.” She held back the curtain that lead into the back rooms, waiting for Morgana to pass through before she followed. They settled down on the sofa sitting there and Morgana jumped right in, repaying Elise’s earlier frankness with her own.

“I know you know more about my situation than almost anyone else. You know I know things about what is going to happen in the future. I’d like to stop quite a bit of it from coming to pass, and I’ve already started that process. However, I can’t do it all alone. I’d like it if you would agree to join us, and give advice as well as possibly fight with us, when the time comes.”

“Oh, I have no doubt that it will. Eventually,” Elise said calmly, study Morgana’s earnest face. “Alright. You know, I’ve been waiting for you to make your move for some time, now. I’m glad you chose this moment, though.” She reached out and placed a piece of parchment in Morgana’s hand. She glanced at it, but all it said was a time and a date.

“Come back on this day, and we’ll begin. Bring your other allies, even the boy if you’d like. I think it would be nice to meet the Savior of the Wizarding World, if you wouldn’t mind him tagging along. He sounds like such sweet young boy.”

“Of course,” Morgana responded, blinking at her in slight shock. It had really been that simple?

It was like Elise could read her mind. Her smile was at once both patronizing and indulgent. “All you had to do was ask. You’d be surprised how many people are willing to help if only they were _asked_.”

“I really appreciate this, Elise. Hopefully my little group of three won’t be the only ones I can convince to come. I’m trying to find diverse allies, but I admit I haven’t gotten very far, yet.”

“Oh, I can help with that, as well.” She tapped a finger on the parchment as a reminder. “Attempt to reach out to the ones you think might answer your call, and then come and meet my friends on this date.” She stood up then, looking regal like a princess even without a tiara or a flowing gown. “Until then, my friend.”

Morgana smiled in return, rising herself before giving her new ally a small bow of respect. “Until then.” Then she was being whisked from the room and out onto the street. It seemed that things were looking bright for their little troupe, after all.

 

So many people were talking over each other, and if he had to listen to it much longer, Dumbledore thought his brain might actually start pounding against his skull. Minerva and Molly were in one corner, trading stories about the Weasley boys and their exploits. Arthur and Doge were chatting excitedly about mundane ministry issues. All of the others scattered around the room were adding to the steady drone in the room.

Finally having had enough, Dumbledore smacked a hand down on the table and watched as the room fell silent, every pair of eyes turning to face him expectantly.

“Yes, thank you. I thought we really ought to start this meeting. I know we all have other obligations today.”

Molly shifted in her seat, turning to fully face the Headmaster. “Why _did_ you call us all here today, Albus? The Order hasn’t been active in _years_ ,” she asked, her voice equal parts curiosity and worry. “It doesn’t have anything to do with poor little Harry, does it?”

“No, no, no. Nothing like that. At least, I sincerely hope not. No, recently a young woman was brought to my attention by some very trustworthy associates. She has shown up out of nowhere, with no history or record of her anywhere up until a few weeks ago. She has been seen few times, but when she has it has been in Knockturn Alley. I have heard intelligence that she is a dark witch with information about the inner workings of the Death Eaters.

Many of the people around the room didn’t look very convinced. “I’m sorry, Albus,” Minerva finally said, shaking her head slowly. “But that seems like a lot of hearsay and very little fact. We can’t just go around nabbing every person that someone says is dark, in case they _might_ have information.”

Others were nodding along, but Albus was happy to see a few looking unsure. It was those few that he would corner after the meeting to see if they would go and capture the girl for him.

Albus knew how to read a room, so he ended the meeting shortly after that, saying playfully that perhaps in his old age he was growing just a smidge more paranoid. The Order members has slowly trickled from the room then, but the ones he had noticed looking unsure stayed behind, waiting for him near his desk.

“Alastor, Elphias. I’m glad you stayed. What do you think of this girl, then?”

“I think it’s quite suspicious if she’s got no record before this summer. And if word on the street says that she has information, I think we should at least as her about it. Word on the street often has at least a grain of truth to it,” Moody grumbled, his mechanical eyes whirring around as he talked.

Doge nodded along, looking just a little skittish, but Albus had known the man for many years. He knew that was just the way Elphias looked, no matter what. He also always looked vaguely annoyed at the world, but he was a good man. “Then I can trust you with her retrieval and interrogation?” Albus asked, ignoring the indignant squawk from Fawkes in the corner.

“Consider it done, Albus,” Moody said gruffly, slapping the Headmaster on the shoulder as he stood up. Doge followed on the old Auror’s heels, throwing a nervous look over his shoulder at Albus.

Well, with those two on the job, he was sure everything would turn out fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed it! I know it's been forever since I posted, I'm sorry.


	14. To Gather Allies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear, I'm not dead and I haven't given up on this! I'm sorry! Please accept this as an apology for me taking forever to post something. Man, it's been A LONG TIME. (sorry)

 

Morgana took a moment, once she was out on the street, to gather her breath and her wits. Calmer now, she set off in a new direction, heading back towards the lighter side of the Magic District. Though she had never had to deal with many Purebloods socially, she knew quite a few spots where they could be found in greater numbers. The little potions shop at the mouth of Knockturn Alley, the fancy café further down Diagon Alley, and the expensive boutique across the street from Madam Malkin’s to name just a few.

These meetings she had planned for today couldn’t be done by owl, so in person it was to be. Owls could be intercepted, she lamented to herself in annoyance. But, she supposed, of what she was asking these people to do, the least she could do was ask them herself.

She thought she might as well begin with the hardest case to sell. With any luck, she would be able to find the woman she wanted fairly easily. And, sure enough, Morgana saw the woman through the window of the uppity little café. She made her way inside, back straight and face blank, like she belonged with the upper class.

Narcissa Malfoy sat alone at a table near the window, untouched cup of tea in front of her as she flipped through a thin book distractedly. The Pureblood looked worried, her gaze continuously tipping up to scan the street before settling back on her book.

Morgana took a fortifying breath before marching calmly right up to Narcissa’s table, curtsying like a proper little Pureblood. That was sure to get the older woman’s attention. There was no way for Narcissa to know if she was a Pureblood or not unless Morgana told her, and she was saving that up for later. Better to get her attention and ear first, before giving her reasons to distrust her.

Narcissa was watching her with soft amusement, though her face would still seem cool and calm to an outside observer. Morgana could see a mother’s indulgence in the woman’s gaze, though. She had studied the woman’s mask for years and prided herself on her ability to read the Malfoy’s emotions fairly consistently. It had come in handy on more than one occasion.

“I beg your pardon, Lady Malfoy, but I was wondering if I could but a moment of your time?” Morgana asked, layering her voice with as much politeness and truth as possible. Lady Malfoy may have been raised on lies and deceit, but Morgana had found over the years that the woman truly despised underhandedness.

“Of course. Why don’t you take a seat? What’s your name, sweetheart?” she asked, waving a hand toward the empty seat across from her for Morgana to sit.

As Morgana settled, she whispered a privacy spell beneath her breath. Narcissa noticed but simply nodded in agreement, her eyes widening ever so slightly. With the one simple spell, Narcissa had realized that the conversation was to be a very important one.

Morgana steeled herself for the older woman’s reaction before she said a word. “Morgana Wilkes, ma’am.” She saw the moment Narcissa pegged her as at least a half-blood or a muggleborn, and internally groaned as Narcissa’s smile faltered ever so slightly. Her shrewd eyes flickered across Morgana’s face quickly before she nodded. Her smiled softened again and she leaned further across the table, leaving no room for Morgana to wiggle her way free of her gaze.

“Miss Wilkes. What did you wish to speak to me about?” Her voice was calm, but the threat was hidden there beneath the surface anyhow.

Morgana smiled lightly, feeling it morph into a small grimace at what she was about to say. “I understand you have a young son,” she started, and sure enough, Narcissa bristled immediately. Her grip on the book in her hand turned into a stranglehold and her back snapped ram rod straight. “Please, I know what you’re thinking, but I mean no harm.”

Morgana’s smile was sad as she moved on. “I know what your husband is. Who he served. And I know that you aren’t and have never been happy about it. I know that you love your son, and you don’t want him anywhere near your husband’s master.”

Narcissa was shaking slightly, her face sickly pale. Her eyes looked haunted and frightened, like she was very wary about what Morgana truly wanted from her.

“I know you have no reason to trust me, but I know that you love your son, and that you would do anything to protect him.” Morgana pulled a scrap of paper from her pocket and slid it across the table. “I would very much appreciate it if you would show up on this day to discuss this matter further. You’re not the only person that will be there, and you may disguise yourself any way you please to keep your anonymity, until you feel more comfortable. And please, do not tell your husband about this. Not until you know all of the facts. I beg of you, think this through. If not for the Wizarding World, then for little Draco.”

She knew in her bones that Narcissa would be showing up on that day with questions, but ready to commit. The woman may be dark and frightening, but she was also a mother, and she loved her son above all things. Even the Dark Lord.

Morgana didn’t overstay her welcome, standing and taking her leave before Narcissa could properly respond. The younger witch wandered out of the shop and started across the street to the bookstore. She watched a group of small children running throughout with fond eyes; this had been one of her favorite places to visit when she had been a child herself. It still sent a swooping feeling of nostalgia through her when she saw it now; it had been destroyed the year the had gone on the run, along with most of Diagon Alley.

Through the window, she saw the woman she had been looking for and felt a smile tug at her lips. The bell over the door rang as she walked through, and she relished in the nearly-forgotten sound for a moment. She decided she wouldn’t head straight for her favorite teacher; she would instead wander over aimlessly, almost naturally. Like she had simply run across her instead of actively sought her out. After a few moments of mindless browsing, Morgana made her way towards the transfiguration section, where Minerva McGonagall was glaring hard at the various textbooks.

Was it odd that Morgana had missed her glare?

“Transfiguration always was my favorite subject in school,” Morgana said quietly, scanning the titles with a lazy glance. She turned just enough to see McGonagall’s expression, which was one of slight confusion and just the slightest bit of interest. Morgana supposed most people didn’t strike up conversations with her in the middle of the bookstore about her favorite subject very often.

“Yes, mine as well. I teach it at Hogwarts, and I was just looking to see if there were any new resources I could use for my classes. Seems like there’s nothing new, though. You don’t look familiar; did you study abroad?”

Morgana smirked and ducked her head, running a finger across her cloak to soothe her nerves; she had forgotten how penetrating McGonagall’s gaze could be. She had never needed magic to make her students tell her exactly what she wanted to know.

“I studied at Beaubatons,” she lied, naturally. “I graduated a few years ago, now. I’m actually here to talk to you, though, Professor McGonagall.” And that had the woman’s full attention immediately. Her shrewd eyes brightened and her gaze pierced right through Morgana’s façade as easily as a knife through butter.

“You’re the girl Albus is so worried about, aren’t you?” She kept her voice quiet and pleasant, like they were still touting the wonderful attributes of transfiguration. She also sounded just this side of exhausted, like she just couldn’t believe that this was her life now.

“Probably,” Morgana shrugged, totally unaffected. She tilted her head to smirk in exasperation at her old professor. “He’s not very happy with me right now. But, then again, I’m not very happy with him either.”

“Who are you? Really?”

Morgana felt the smile slide off of her face, pain etching its way onto her face as she thought of the circumstances of her arrival in this time. It must have shown on her face, because McGonagall didn’t look like she was ready to attack at any moment now; now, she just looked tired. “Doesn’t really matter right now. But I do need your help, Professor.” She reached into her pocket and handed the woman a folded up piece of paper. “There is an address, date, and time on that paper. I would greatly appreciate it if you came and heard us out. And please don’t tell the Headmaster. He’s really out for my head. Wanted to erase my memories and got all titchy when I fought my way out of his office. You’d think he would want to use every advantage in this war against the Dark Lord as he could.”

McGonagall’s eyes were wide and surprised as she stared down at the tiny, innocuous paper in her outstretched palm. “Albus would do something like that!” she whispered, scandalized.

Morgana raised her head and met McGonagall’s eyes, her own sad and exhausted and so very, very tired. “Wouldn’t he, though?”

With that, Morgana gave her one last fleeting sad excuse for a smile before backing up and slipping through the crowds of children and back out the front door.

Well. Two down, three to go.

Her next option was harder to find. In her timeline, Remus hadn’t returned to Britain until their third year of school. As far as she knew, he had been travelling in all the years between Harry’s parents’ deaths and their third year. She wasn’t quite sure where he could be at the moment, but that wasn’t anything a little locating spell couldn’t fix.

Luckily, Severus had had all the necessary ingredients sitting in his lab. She took out her supplies as she wandered into a deserted alleyway. The map spread out in front of her, she pulled her wand out and muttered a spell, watching as the map glowed for a long moment. A red line appeared moments later, flowing down the coast and winding its way through the country before it ended in London. Huh. Remus had been in London the year before he had started teaching? Maybe he was just there to pick something up.

Either way, she now had an address to find him at. She set off in the right direction, towards a small boardinghouse on the other end of the alley, near the mouth of Knockturn. She picked up an apple from a street vendor before wandering across the street to her target. She eyed the building speculatively. It certainly kept up with Remus’s bedraggled appearance on the train during third year. It was rundown and dark, looking like magic might be the only thing actually keeping it upright anymore.

She stepped closer and leaned against the storefront beside the boardinghouse, taking a big bit from her apple to pass the time. Plus, she was starving. Might as well multi-task. She sighed as she checked her watch. She could wait for Remus to show up, she supposed. Besides, the wait gave her time to think over what she might say to him. It stood to reason that if she could get Remus on their side, Sirius would be quick to follow. You know, once they finally got around to breaking him out of Azkaban. Preferably after he wasn’t stupidly blinded by revenge any more, either.

She nibbled on her apple and she felt her gaze go unfocused, but she had enough awareness of her surroundings to notice the shift in air at the doorway a few minutes later, meaning that someone was about to walk through.

When she glanced up, she saw Remus Lupin standing there at the door, fiddling with a few keys on a ring. She took one more bite of her apple before saying quietly, “Aren’t keys a little archaic? A simple unlocking spell and whoever wants in will be in.” Remus glanced up, his eyes bright and shocked for a moment before he took in her entire presence.

“Good afternoon, miss.” He glanced down at his keys with a goofy little smile and shook them speculatively. “I do suppose they’re a little old fashioned. But I do enjoy a relic. Besides, not much for a thief to steal up there.”

Morgana smiled, wide and real. Gods, but she had missed this man so much. She knew he had been happy, there towards the end, what with Tonks and little Teddy. But he was also _dead_ in that future, and that was something she would not allow this time around.

Her head tilted to the side as she thought of how to proceed. She had only known the man for a few years, but what little she knew, was that the man appreciated the truth, even if he wouldn’t like it. Living most of his life hiding secret after secret had taken a toll on his patience.

She banished her apple core with a wandless spell and watched as the werewolf’s eyes widened in shock. The once over he gave her this time was much more suspicious.

“I’m sorry, what did you say your name was?”

“I didn’t.” She wiped her sticky hand off on her cloak and held it out toward him. He took it cautiously, shaking it just a bit before he released her. “Morgana Wilkes. Pleasure to meet you, Remus Lupin.”

Remus took a step back, not quite sure what to do in this situation. “And what do you want with me, Miss Wilkes?” He sounded downright exhausted, and wasn’t that just the theme of the day? He was scowling down at her, like it was all her fault that he couldn’t just meet a nice young woman on the street without her wanting something from him too. It hurt Morgana’s heart to think about.

“I’m here with an offer, actually.” She slipped another piece of paper, identical to the ones she had given to the others. Remus looked it over before tucking it into his coat pocket.

“And that offer _is_ ,” he trailed off unhappily, staring down at her with hard eyes.

Her face softened. “I know you care a great deal for Harry Potter.” At the mention of his name, Remus sucked in a sharp breath, staring at her with a vicious protectiveness shining through his eyes. “He’s not safe, and he won’t ever _be_ safe until we take care of the Dark Lord.” Remus was looking open to the idea, until he heard her title for the dark wizard.

“The only people who call him the Dark Lord are his followers,” he growled out dangerously.

Morgana’s smile was sad. She stared down at her feet for a long moment before she nodded, glancing back up at him through her lashes. “I’m sorry. Where I’m from, there’s a taboo on his name. I’ve simply gotten into the habit. Apologies.”

Remus looked suitably guilty at that. “I’m sorry, Miss Wilkes.” His breath left him in a huge gust of air before he shoved his hands further into his pockets and huffed. “Yes, it’s true; I’m very invested in Harry Potter’s safety. But I don’t understand what you mean by the rest. You-Know-Who is _dead_.”

“I’m afraid he’s not quite as dead as previously suspected. I have in my possession information that will help us destroy him once and for all, but I can’t do it all on my own. I need _help_.”

Remus sighed once more, studying Morgana closely for a long moment. “You’re the girl Dumbledore got into such a tiff about the other day, aren’t you?”

Morgana smirked lightly, rolling her eyes. “He’s angry with me because I don’t agree with his plans. He doesn’t know what I know and I don’t plan on telling him any time soon. He’s burned that bridge. No, I trusted him once before and it didn’t end well. I’ve learned well from my mistakes.”

Remus mulled over his options for a moment before he rolled his shoulders and nodded decisively. “Alright. You’re really given me no reason to doubt you and your intentions.” He held the paper up in his fist and shook it at her with a small grin. “I’ll be there, I suppose.” He nodded once, giving her one last look over, before he moved past her and further down the street. Soon, he had disappeared around the bend and was out of sight.

Morgana smiled softly to herself, closing her eyes in relief as she leaned back against the building behind her. She was gaining the allies she needed. Perhaps they could all finish this, together, before it all became too horrible.

She was too exhausted for the last two meetings on her agenda, so she decided to do them at a later date and instead return home. She was anxious to see how the boys had gotten through their first Occlumency lesson.

Wandering back through the crowd to the Leaky Cauldron, Morgana le herself indulge in the thought that they could do this. That they could win before the Dark Lord even had time to begin. She was smiling when she threw the floo powder in the fireplace and she was still smiling when she stepped through onto the rug in front of Severus’ fireplace, covered in soot and so very tired. The moment she arrived, she was struck by the unnatural stillness. She had gotten used to Harry flitting from one room to the next, always loud and exuberant and happy no matter what time of day or night.

She wandered further into the mansion, checking each room but finding nothing. Then she came to the family room and round a beautiful scene unfolding in front of her. She hid behind the doorframe, watching silently.

Severus held Harry in his arms, cradled against his chest. Harry was passed out, breathing lightly against Severus’ neck. His little hand was curled up behind Severus’ shoulder, squeezing and releasing the fabric there spasmodically as he shoved his face closer to Severus’ body. The man himself was simply staring down at him, entranced and silent as he stroked a hand up and down the boy’s back slowly.

Morgana bit her lip, wondering vaguely if they could have had this the first time around, if only they had been given the chance. Severus didn’t look at Harry with disgust or hatred anymore; in fact, he was now soft and kind toward the boy no matter the situation. It was like night and day between her memories and the reality. He just cared so much that it nearly brought Morgana to tears, sometimes.

This man was so different from the Severus Snape Hermione Granger had grown up learning from.

Severus sighed after a long moment, leaning down to set the exhausted child down on one of the sofas. Harry complained in his sleep, groggily reaching out for the warmth that was being denied him, but Severus just shushed him. He tugged a blanket down around Harry, tucking him in snugly, before he quieted down and twisted himself on the cushions, trying to burrow beneath the blanket. Severus smirked at the sight, rolling his eyes as he straightened up. He tugged his frock coat until it was stiff and straight once more and then turned on his heel, an indulgent little smirk still on his face even as he slipped closer to the door.

The moment he noticed Morgana standing there, smile stretched across her face and eyes glittering in amusement, he scowled and pointed her far away from the room so as not to wake Harry. Once they were safely ensconced in the kitchen, Morgana let out a quiet little cackle of amusement. She watched as Severus’ cheeks flushed red for a moment before taking mercy on him and reaching out, wrapping her arms around his chest and squeezing happily.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to embarrass you. It was just so sweet; I didn’t want to ruin the moment.” She heard him snort in derision above her head, but couldn’t bring herself to care very much. She squeezed him again, tighter this time, before she said quietly, “I’m glad you care for him so deeply. He needs that. He’s always needed that.” She tilted her head back so she could look him in the eye. “And I’m sure the feeling is mutual, you know. He cares for you just as much as you care for him.”

Severus looked uncomfortable, pushing her away lightly so he could take a seat at the table instead. He cleared his throat before he finally grumbled out, “So. How did it go?” That was the most heavy-handed subject change she had ever witnessed, but she allowed it, rolling her eyes at him but carrying on as if nothing ridiculous had happened.

“It went quite well, I think. Elise is on our side. McGonagall, Narcissa Malfoy, and Remus Lupin will be in attendance at our meeting.” She watched Severus’ lip curl up in disgust at Lupin’s name, just as she had assumed it would, and reached across the table to tap at his hand.

“Be nice. We all need to work together if we are to get anything done. We need all the allies we can get. This is just the beginning, and you know it.”

Severus was gritting his teeth but he nodded his agreement. “We’re going to need more than four other people. Dumbledore has his Order full of powerful witches and wizards. Though I’m loathe to say it, we’re going to need more people.”

“I know,” she sighed, flicking her fingers against the table in thought. “We’re going to have to poach members from both sides of the war for this to work. Could you speak with some former Death Eaters, perhaps? People with children are more likely to help if they don’t want them to go through what they did at the hands of the Dark Lord.”

Severus looked stricken, but he nodded anyway. “I can ask around, but I wouldn’t hold out too much hope. They all think he’s dead.”

“Then we’ll just have to convince them that he isn’t. I don’t want more people to die than absolutely have to. Especially the children.” She shivered at the thought of what all those students had gone through that last year at Hogwarts, when the Dark Lord had had total power. Something of that fear must have shown on her face, because Severus nodded once more, more determined this time.

“I’ll look into it, I promise.”

And a promise was as good as a done deal, from Severus Snape. She sighed in exhaustion one more time, leaning her head back against her chair. She didn’t have time to sit there in a tired heap, though. She had work to do. Standing, she pushed away from the table decisively, a hard glint in her eyes even as she smirked down at Severus.

“Well. I suppose I have a meeting to prepare for.” With that, she stood at her full height and wandered back to the study she had commandeered for her notes on the war. She had planning and arguments and problems to think about. Her lip curled in excitement; it had been quite a while since she had been presented with such a difficult experience.

How to bring all of these diverse, powerful, headstrong and willful witches and wizards to their side?

How, indeed.


End file.
